Tank-killing copter to see action again in Yugoslavian war

The apache helicopter is designed as a "tank killer"

April 6, 1999
Web posted at: 5:11 p.m. EDT (2111 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The newest piece of NATO air power being deployed to the war against Yugoslavia, the heavily-armed Apache, is the U.S. Army's primary attack helicopter.

Although its mission is to target Serb military and police forces, the Pentagon insists the 24 Apaches being sent to the region, along with 2,600 support personnel, do not signal the beginning of ground fighting in Kosovo.

In the meantime, officials say, the helicopters probably will not be ready for action for more than a week.

Apaches, used heavily against Iraqi forces in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, are armed with laser-guided anti-tank missiles.

Designed during the Cold War for possible use in Eastern Europe against Soviet forces and the Warsaw Pact, the Apache can cruise at 189 miles an hours and is equipped with a pair of 30 millimeter cannons that can fire more than 600 rounds per minute.

The crews are trained to fly low to the ground and in most kinds of weather.

But its advantage at night, using infrared equipment to navigate and attack, has been known to backfire. In the war against Iraq, Apaches were involved in several friendly fire incidents.

In Kosovo, the Apaches would face a considerable threat from a variety of Serb air defense weapons, including shoulder-fired guns and anti-aircraft artillery.

To suppress that threat, the Army also plans to deploy multiple launch rocket systems to Albania armed with long-range missiles that can hit air defenses.

Learn more about what the Apache can do -- and what risks are at stake -- in this report from Jonathan Aiken.

VIDEO REPORT
Correspondent Jonathan Aiken reports on the strengths -- and weaknesses -- of the tank-killing Apache helicopter.
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