AUSA 2012 : Boeing Demonstrates AH-6i for US Army

Boeing has completed a flight demonstration of the AH-6i for the US Army, in anticipation of the service's Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) programme.

The flight demonstration was conducted from the manufacturer's Mesa facility in Arizona, and included simulating a number of likely missions, including night flights.

While the AH-6i is aimed at international customers, its handling qualities are representative of what Boeing intends to offer for AAS, although the army's requirements have not yet been released. The cockpit will be based around the feel of the company's AH-64 Apache Longbow Block III, the newest model of the attack helicopter, deliveries of which have begun recently.

In the meantime, work has begun on the first AH-6 for Saudi Arabia, with delivery scheduled in 2014.