Army grounds fleet of AH-64Es for second time in three months

The Army has grounded more than half of its fleet of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters over renewed concerns about a new transmission system.

The pause in flying is the second safety-related stand-down for the Army’s frontline attack helicopter in two months after an August halt lasted just over a week.

Officials announced Friday an “immediate, temporary pause in flight operations” for AH-64E Apache helicopters with Improved Drive System transmissions.

An Army official told Task & Purpose that about 400 Apache E-model helicopters will be kept out of the air during the pause, affecting attack aviation units across the Army. The stand-down affects a significant portion of the Army’s Apache fleet, which hovered around 700 in 2023, according to a Congressional Budget Office report.

It’s unclear how long this stand-down may last, but an Army official said it could take months. In the release, officials said the stand down would take place while the Apache fleet is inspected and “corrective actions” take place.

“This action follows ongoing Army technical and airworthiness assessments of the Improved Drive System transmission, including information developed through prior Safety of Flight actions, inspection results, maintenance reporting, and ongoing engineering analysis,” officials said in the release.

Four ‘Class-A’ mishaps in a year

Since last October, at least four AH-64Es have experienced major mishaps while flying, according to statistics in the September 2026 edition of FlightFax, the Army’s official aviation magazine. By contrast, all other helicopters flown by the Army experienced a total of three similarly large accidents, which are known in military aviation as Class-A mishaps, the highest level of accident severity that includes any accident that ends in loss of life or permanent disability to crew or others, or that causes at least $2.5 million in damages.

Two AH-64E pilots died in an accident outside of Fort Hood, Texas, in August, prompting the first grounding of the fleet.

The causes of the four major mishaps have not been made public, but the safety magazine noted that one Class-A mishap included a “catastrophic transmission failure.” 

Defense One reported that an internal Army investigation indicated that “some” Apaches with the improved drive system transmissions “can experience an internal failure resulting in loss of accessory gearbox drive, which can result in loss of tail rotor thrust, electrical power, and hydraulics.”

The AH-64 was designed in the 1970s as a close-air support and tank-killing attack helicopter, and the Army began flying the helicopter in 1986. The AH-64E is the latest and final planned model for the helicopter, and was first delivered to the Army in 2011.

The Apache is built by Boeing, which described Apache engine transmission upgrades as a way to increase the aircraft’s range and maximize its power.

Boeing officials did not respond to requests for comment about the stand-down that were sent Monday evening by Task & Purpose.

The stand-down is the latest for Army aviation, which is dealing with major cuts across its corps as the service moves to more drones. The pause comes after Army aviation saw an uptick in accidents in 2024, followed by a number of stand-downs and added safety training.  

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