Texan II trainer.--Stephen V Cole

The US Army has decided to spend $2.3 billion rebuilding 269 AH-64A Apache attack helicopters into more lethal AH-64D Apache Longbow radar-equipped aircraft. This will bring the Army to 501 Longbows; it wants funding for another 99. The upgrade will include improved safety and maintenance features, such as an improved main rotor and better transmission. New controls will include an embedded GPS system, digital and glass cockpit, Longbow fire control radar that can pick the 16 more important targets, and a new second-generation forward-looking infrared radar. The Army eventually wants to refit all of these improvements into earlier Longbow aircraft that were converted before some of this gear became available. Two battalions already have the Longbow models (2nd Battalion of the 101st Aviation