Mirage Hobby 1/72 AH-64A Apache (72051)

The AH-64A Apache was the US Army's first purpose-designed anti-tank attack helicopter, developed in the 1970s to counter the threat of a Soviet armoured offensive into Western Europe and entering service in 1986. Armed with up to 16 Hellfire laser-guided anti-tank missiles, seventy-six 2.75-inch rockets, and the M230 30mm chain gun, the Apache was designed to survive in a high-threat environment using terrain masking, pop-up attack profiles, and a robust airframe capable of withstanding hits from small arms and cannon fire. Its combat debut came during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, followed by its defining moment in the Gulf War of 1991 where AH-64As fired the opening shots of the air war — destroying Iraqi early warning radar sites to open a corridor for the air campaign. The A model represents the original production standard before the Longbow radar upgrade of the AH-64D.

The helicopter that opened Desert Storm — the original AH-64A Apache in 1/72 scale.