Saraph
Contents
Description
The introduction of the AH-64D (named Saraph) to Israel was controversial. The Obama administration blocked the sale of that specific version due to investigations of misuse of US military equipment against civilians. The first unit was sold in 2005 and an order of six was blocked in 2009. Most AH-64As in service with the IAF were eventually upgraded to the AH-64D variant to circumvent the blockade of sales, the upgrade plans included the improved AGM-114K Hellfire II and better fire control systems. Between 2007 and 2010, Israel put in more orders to buy the AH-64D in larger quantities, however most attempts failed due to the US investigation. Not all AH-64As were upgraded to the D variant however, but some were fitted with the American Hydra-70 and improved electronic equipment. Some AH-64Ds were used in air-to-air interception, specially against UAVs and other slow moving targets that don't need to be intercepted by aircraft.
Introduced in Update "Danger Zone", the improved AH-64D-I Saraph comes with the same strengths as the previous AH-64A Peten. That means a good flight performance, very capable ATGMs, and excellent optics. However, the Saraph now also includes a search radar located on top of the helicopter, specifically the AN/APG-78 radar, that is operates in the K band and has all-aspect capabilities. While it's not able to lock onto targets, it is a very good option to detect enemy aircraft around you and potentially other helicopters if they are flying high over the terrain. The weapons systems remain the same as the Peten, but it now has access to the Hellfire II, with a better guidance system and higher explosive mass.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 272 | 253 | 5400 |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the helicopter. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical systems.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
| Ballistic Computer | ||
|---|---|---|
| CCIP (Guns) | CCIP (Rockets) | CCIP (Bombs) |
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Offensive armament
The Saraph is armed with:
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon, chin turret (1,200 rpg)
- 180 x countermeasures
Suspended armament
The Saraph can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydra-70 M247 rockets | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | |||
| AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | |||
| ATAS (AIM-92) missiles | 2 | 2 |
| Default weapon presets | |
|---|---|
| |
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using the helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".
Pros:
Cons:
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Israel helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack | |
| MD 500 | Lahatut |
| Battle Hawk | AH-60 |
| Cobra | Tzefa D/E · Tzefa A · Tzefa B |
| Apache | Saraph · Peten · AH-64A Peten |
