Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
February 23, 2008 By Max Jarman, Arizona Republic
The Apache helicopter, first built to chase Soviet tanks out of Eastern Europe, has evolved into a fearsome military juggernaut credited with saving the lives of countless American troops.
It also has grown into a long-term economic powerhouse for a succession of builders and for metro Phoenix, where it is the primary source of 4,500 high-paying jobs and, according to a 2006 Arizona State University study, more than $2.3 billion a year in local economic input.
"The impact is huge," Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker said. "Boeing is the largest private employer in Mesa and one of our best corporate citizens."
Hughes Helicopter Inc. developed the Apache as a successor to the Vietnam-era AH-1 Cobra and produced the first model in Mesa in 1983.
A year later, McDonnell Douglas Corp. bought Hughes Helicopter for $500 million. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas was acquired by Boeing in a $13.3 billion stock-for-stock transaction.
It was a strategic move because it combined McDonnell Douglas' significant defense business with Boeing's commercial aircraft operation. Each segment contributes about one-half of Boeing's $66.5 billion in annual revenues and provides a hedge against a downturn in the other.
"After Sept. 11, the commercial business fell off and the military picked up," said Gary Bishop, director of the Apache program in Mesa.
Since 1983, Boeing and its two predecessors have built 1,048 Apaches and remanufactured 600. The U.S. government has spent $10.5 billion on the Apache program so far.
"Boeing has a good and consistent market for their services with the Apache helicopter," said Wayne Plucker, senior industry analyst for aerospace and defense at international market consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.
"The company provides day-to-day parts and reliability support and has long-term commitments to build and remanufacture aircraft."
Apache's 25-year run compares with the 41 years the Cobra, also known as Huey, has been manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The less agile Huey was the pre-eminent warship during the Vietnam era and the subject of countless videos of the jungle conflict.
Less than halfway through its estimated 57-year production run, Apaches are close to outnumbering the 1,116 Hueys that have been produced since 1967.
The Apache, also called Apache Longbow because of the Longbow radar system mounted above the rotor, has given rise to a host of ancillary businesses at the 3 million-square-foot factory in Mesa built by Hughes in 1981. Basically, it provides myriad products and services for other Boeing projects around the world.
Of Boeing's 4,500 employees in Mesa, 1,141 are engineers and 741 of those are committed to the Apache.
Predator and protector
It almost goes without saying that the Apache is a lethal predator. Since its first combat deployment during the 1989 invasion of Panama, its powerful, high-tech weapon systems have exacted heavy casualties among America's enemies. The Apache carries a 30mm cannon made in Mesa by Alliant Techsystems Inc., rockets and an array of missiles.
"It's the apex predator - the meanest piece of equipment in Iraq," notes Lt. Col. David Fee, former commander of the Army's 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, known as the Wolfpack.
Fee and the Wolfpack returned in October from a 15-month deployment in Iraq. It is one of five rotating Apache fighting corps in Iraq. Each battalion typically has about 300 soldiers supported by a fleet of 24 Apache helicopters. Five of the Army's 15 Apache battalions are stationed in Iraq.
Each battalion is assigned two Boeing contractor field service representatives to trouble-shoot any problems that should arise with the helicopters.
"They live with the unit, sleep in a tent and get the full 'battle rattle,' but no weapons," said Kevin Frauenfelder, one of three initial service reps assigned to the Apaches.
Now, more than 80 people are service reps.
When not deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world, Frauenfelder is in Mesa providing backup support.
"I'm dealing with an engine issue in North Carolina, wiring problems in England, a technical publication issue in Japan," he added, "and it's not yet noon."
The Wolfpack's Fee lost three men during the last deployment: One to an enemy sniper and two when their Apache helicopter crashed during a sandstorm.
Comprehensive upgrades
The aircraft's ability to navigate during treacherous sandstorms of the Middle East is being improved through a series of comprehensive upgrades that promise to keep Boeing's Mesa factory running at full capacity until 2024 and beyond.
Boeing won a $1.15 billion contract last year to remanufacture 126 Apaches for the U.S. Army, including 30 destined for the United Arab Emirates. During this process, the aircraft is taken down to a shell and rebuilt with new, more advanced components, weapons and equipment.
"It's essentially a new aircraft," said Fred Robinson, who oversees the Apache's final assembly.
The Mesa factory, which operates under Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division, also has orders for 47 new helicopters to replace those lost in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and in accidents.
The recent spate of work has helped tide over the plant in what could have been an extended lull in production with possible layoffs.
A contract to remanufacture 269 helicopters expired in 2006 with the next major body of work, the remanufacture of 634 aircraft, not scheduled to begin until 2010.
Carol Thompson, a spokeswoman for Boeing in Mesa, said that the additional work is more than enough top keep the plant at full production until the next contract, known as Block III, kicks in.
The helicopters are manufactured and remanufactured along a 10-station assembly line. Each aircraft stays five days at each station where parts and components are added, primarily by hand, to what starts out as an empty shell. At one station, the nine miles of wiring and thousands of connections are tested with a machine, initially developed to test speaker wire connections in drive-in movie theaters.
In the Block III version, the tail section and rotor blades will be made out of high-tech composite materials. The aircraft also will get a redesigned engine, transmission and significantly more computing power.
Boeing now is producing about three Apaches per month and expects to ramp up to six later this year.
'Here for a long time'
Last year, the Army extended the life of the Apache program by 10 years, to 2040.
"There will likely be additional major upgrades down the road," Boeing's Bishop said. "We're going to be working here for a long time."
He noted a possibility that work and programs could be moved or assigned to Arizona from other Boeing divisions.
"The company is constantly evaluating moving additional work here," Bishop said.
"It's an excellent site. We have plenty of land (about a square mile), there is an ample supply of skilled labor, and where else can you fly practically every day of the year? We've performed very well here."
February 23, 2008 By Max Jarman, Arizona Republic
The Apache helicopter, first built to chase Soviet tanks out of Eastern Europe, has evolved into a fearsome military juggernaut credited with saving the lives of countless American troops.
It also has grown into a long-term economic powerhouse for a succession of builders and for metro Phoenix, where it is the primary source of 4,500 high-paying jobs and, according to a 2006 Arizona State University study, more than $2.3 billion a year in local economic input.
"The impact is huge," Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker said. "Boeing is the largest private employer in Mesa and one of our best corporate citizens."
Hughes Helicopter Inc. developed the Apache as a successor to the Vietnam-era AH-1 Cobra and produced the first model in Mesa in 1983.
A year later, McDonnell Douglas Corp. bought Hughes Helicopter for $500 million. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas was acquired by Boeing in a $13.3 billion stock-for-stock transaction.
It was a strategic move because it combined McDonnell Douglas' significant defense business with Boeing's commercial aircraft operation. Each segment contributes about one-half of Boeing's $66.5 billion in annual revenues and provides a hedge against a downturn in the other.
"After Sept. 11, the commercial business fell off and the military picked up," said Gary Bishop, director of the Apache program in Mesa.
Since 1983, Boeing and its two predecessors have built 1,048 Apaches and remanufactured 600. The U.S. government has spent $10.5 billion on the Apache program so far.
"Boeing has a good and consistent market for their services with the Apache helicopter," said Wayne Plucker, senior industry analyst for aerospace and defense at international market consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.
"The company provides day-to-day parts and reliability support and has long-term commitments to build and remanufacture aircraft."
Apache's 25-year run compares with the 41 years the Cobra, also known as Huey, has been manufactured by Bell Helicopter. The less agile Huey was the pre-eminent warship during the Vietnam era and the subject of countless videos of the jungle conflict.
Less than halfway through its estimated 57-year production run, Apaches are close to outnumbering the 1,116 Hueys that have been produced since 1967.
The Apache, also called Apache Longbow because of the Longbow radar system mounted above the rotor, has given rise to a host of ancillary businesses at the 3 million-square-foot factory in Mesa built by Hughes in 1981. Basically, it provides myriad products and services for other Boeing projects around the world.
Of Boeing's 4,500 employees in Mesa, 1,141 are engineers and 741 of those are committed to the Apache.
Predator and protector
It almost goes without saying that the Apache is a lethal predator. Since its first combat deployment during the 1989 invasion of Panama, its powerful, high-tech weapon systems have exacted heavy casualties among America's enemies. The Apache carries a 30mm cannon made in Mesa by Alliant Techsystems Inc., rockets and an array of missiles.
"It's the apex predator - the meanest piece of equipment in Iraq," notes Lt. Col. David Fee, former commander of the Army's 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, known as the Wolfpack.
Fee and the Wolfpack returned in October from a 15-month deployment in Iraq. It is one of five rotating Apache fighting corps in Iraq. Each battalion typically has about 300 soldiers supported by a fleet of 24 Apache helicopters. Five of the Army's 15 Apache battalions are stationed in Iraq.
Each battalion is assigned two Boeing contractor field service representatives to trouble-shoot any problems that should arise with the helicopters.
"They live with the unit, sleep in a tent and get the full 'battle rattle,' but no weapons," said Kevin Frauenfelder, one of three initial service reps assigned to the Apaches.
Now, more than 80 people are service reps.
When not deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world, Frauenfelder is in Mesa providing backup support.
"I'm dealing with an engine issue in North Carolina, wiring problems in England, a technical publication issue in Japan," he added, "and it's not yet noon."
The Wolfpack's Fee lost three men during the last deployment: One to an enemy sniper and two when their Apache helicopter crashed during a sandstorm.
Comprehensive upgrades
The aircraft's ability to navigate during treacherous sandstorms of the Middle East is being improved through a series of comprehensive upgrades that promise to keep Boeing's Mesa factory running at full capacity until 2024 and beyond.
Boeing won a $1.15 billion contract last year to remanufacture 126 Apaches for the U.S. Army, including 30 destined for the United Arab Emirates. During this process, the aircraft is taken down to a shell and rebuilt with new, more advanced components, weapons and equipment.
"It's essentially a new aircraft," said Fred Robinson, who oversees the Apache's final assembly.
The Mesa factory, which operates under Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division, also has orders for 47 new helicopters to replace those lost in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and in accidents.
The recent spate of work has helped tide over the plant in what could have been an extended lull in production with possible layoffs.
A contract to remanufacture 269 helicopters expired in 2006 with the next major body of work, the remanufacture of 634 aircraft, not scheduled to begin until 2010.
Carol Thompson, a spokeswoman for Boeing in Mesa, said that the additional work is more than enough top keep the plant at full production until the next contract, known as Block III, kicks in.
The helicopters are manufactured and remanufactured along a 10-station assembly line. Each aircraft stays five days at each station where parts and components are added, primarily by hand, to what starts out as an empty shell. At one station, the nine miles of wiring and thousands of connections are tested with a machine, initially developed to test speaker wire connections in drive-in movie theaters.
In the Block III version, the tail section and rotor blades will be made out of high-tech composite materials. The aircraft also will get a redesigned engine, transmission and significantly more computing power.
Boeing now is producing about three Apaches per month and expects to ramp up to six later this year.
'Here for a long time'
Last year, the Army extended the life of the Apache program by 10 years, to 2040.
"There will likely be additional major upgrades down the road," Boeing's Bishop said. "We're going to be working here for a long time."
He noted a possibility that work and programs could be moved or assigned to Arizona from other Boeing divisions.
"The company is constantly evaluating moving additional work here," Bishop said.
"It's an excellent site. We have plenty of land (about a square mile), there is an ample supply of skilled labor, and where else can you fly practically every day of the year? We've performed very well here."