News 14 Carolina's Porcha Johnson has more on how the new helicopters differ from the old ones.
MORRISVILLE, N.C. --The North Carolina Army National Guard launches another chapter in the state's aviation history books.
The National Guard is the second in the country to operate the Apache longbow attack helicopters. During a recognition ceremony Sunday, the helicopters were officially welcomed to the National Guard family.
“I'm extremely thrilled that towards the end of my career, I will be flying one of the most advanced or the most advanced attack helicopter in the world, and I go out on a positive note in my mind,” said Chief Jack Duffey.
The National Guard had these helicopters since last fall.
During a recognition ceremony Sunday, the helicopters were officially welcomed to the National Guard family.
“It's a fantastic piece of machinery,” said Chief Christopher Wilson.
The helicopters are far more advanced than what you can see with the bare eye.
“It has a fire control radar system on board and I like to compare it
to a 1969 Corvette, which is what we had, and what it has on board. And now you get a brand new 2008 Corvette there is a whole lot more bells and whistles, said Duffey.
Other capabilities include high-tech missiles, digital communication, and a enhanced fault detection location system. So, it's no doubt this helicopter is equipped for combat.
“It’s very beneficial. It has a lot of capabilities that we didn't have before, a lot of what we call situational awareness. So that we are able to understand what the ground commanders, where they are and what they need," Chief Wilson said.
But officials said the National Guard will have to complete their training before they get to operate the Apache longbow attack helicopters.
Officials said the National Guard received 12 Apaches around October of last year. Within the next year, the National Guard expects to get 12 more helicopters.