▶️Apache FACTORY🚁Helicopter Production: Bell Huey➕Boeing AH-64 Apache

let's take a look at the production of the apache ah-64 in the second half i'll also show you the bell factory [Music] leave me a comment on what you think of the apache and bell helicopters the apache ah-64 has been designed to protect the crew every inch of the body engineered to endure hits from 12.7 millimeter caliber rounds while the underside rotors and cockpit can resist rounds of double that size to make this angel of death takes a factory like no other boeing's apache plant in mesa arizona the size of seven city blocks it's a vast factory complex and has two million square feet of research and manufacturing area in arizona's valley of the sun the choice of location is important good weather and plenty of space to design build test and fly the most successful attack helicopter in the world [Music] workers manufacture an average of 32 apaches a year in addition boeing repairs and renews aircraft returning from active duty they may be refitted or modified into modern specifications uh so to turn the patchy from raw and naked fuselage to battle ready killing machine takes 160 workers three months and it's all done by hand no robots here people are better at negotiating the tight spaces inside this framework at the center of the factory is a 15 stage production line known as a pulse moving line there are no chains rollers or moving walkways to advance the helicopters from one production stage to the next instead the apache is physically moved by hand as work on each station is complete timing is critical each apache must be moved forward in unison to completion after five days in each station it moves to the next stage in construction starting with the airframe fuel tanks cockpit engines and rotors electronics and sensors and finally weaponry turning this pile of metal into one of the deadliest brands at the military's disposal first stage sub assembly this is where the metal that makes up the skeleton of the apache takes its shape it's no simple task and it takes five of the 15 workstations to turn aluminum into airframe aluminum means low weight high speed and maximum agility for this high-tech flying machine but the start of this build is low tech a process known as smashing rivets up to 100 000 rivets will be needed to secure this first stage of the build in place the workers take their time they know that more rivets equals more strength [Music] but strength isn't enough above the battlefield this machine will face flack and enemy fire to return from battle the entire airframe must be reinforced with body armor the exterior of the helicopter is covered in flat structural surfaces reinforced by a protective covering from nearly every angle the opposing projectile will face an armored blunt surface which it must breach in order to damage the craft one of the most vulnerable parts on any vehicle are the fuel tanks to protect them takes precision engineering and some very unusual materials this ballistic foam has been specially designed to absorb impacts it's made from sandwich like layers of glass in polyurethane foam that drastically slows down the speed of projectiles and absorbs their energy the foam has been pre-cut to encase the fuel tank like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle next a special resin is mixed on the factory floor the resin is designed to prevent air links and seals the tank in case of a bullet strike applied over the ballistic foam it will also prevent any fuel from escaping should the tanks take a hit a fuel leak on any helicopter could start a deadly fire finally on top of the resin the last layer of defense kevlar sheets five times stronger than steel keva will stop bullets in their tracks and keep shrapnel from penetrating the vulnerable fuel cells kevlar is so effective it's used by the us military and police to make bulletproof vests cup okay every apache comes equipped with two rubber fuel tanks fail-safe systems are key to the endurance of this machine take one out and there's a backup the two fuel tanks will be loaded with 300 gallons of highly flammable jet fuel but they're not unprotected the rubber lining contains a special reactive agent that expands on contact with fuel should there be a leak this cell will seal the hole itself the cell is lifted into place it's hard work and the crew must ensure that the fuselage is free of any foreign debris that might puncture the rubber now this mean machine is virtually impenetrable so the armor on the underside of the apache is so effective that in combat pilots will even turn the helicopter's belly to face the enemy fire the underside acts as a shield for craft and crew but there is one final area that needs serious reinforcement the flight center of the apache the cockpit the cockpit is a reinforced bulletproof chamber with glass up to two inches thick the bulletproof side windows are surrounded by detonation explosives in the event of an emergency pull the trigger and the windows fire out with explosive force providing a quick exit from the cockpit the apache has two cockpit sections the pilot sits in the rear and the gunner sits in the front the rear section is raised above the front section so the pilot can see clearly a transparent acrylic blast shield is mounted between the four and aft sections separating the two pilots if one pilot takes a hit the other can survive and fly to safety but should the apache go down there is one final line of defense the areas for and after the cockpit are designed to buckle on impact like a crumple zone in a car they absorb the force of collision and carry it away from the crew the cockpit is the command center of the apache giving both pilots instant access to flight navigation and weapons data there are five different displays in approximately 25 000 different switch combinations available to the pilots weapon systems navigation radar communications aircraft survivability night sensors day sensors manned and unmanned teaming systems are all at their disposal to control them take some high-tech electronics the electrics start out here station 8 the company's electrical strategic manufacturing center a different room in boeing's vast apache plant in mesa arizona it may not look like a helicopter but each of these wiring boards is the exact dimensions of an apache there are 11 miles of wiring in every apache longbow so each wiring harness must be carefully laid out to the correct length and path the wires are secured together in bundles to make them easier to thread through the apache [Music] next job connecting the cables together a special heat gun secures and waterproofs each electrical connection known as splicing it's a way of connecting different wiring systems without risking loose connections one loose connection could mean death for the crew and failure of the mission next up the wings it may seem odd for a helicopter to have wings and in fact the apache stubby wings do increase the drag coefficient reducing the helicopter's aerodynamics but these wings serve a vital role their support brackets for fuel tanks and weapons the wings also reduce aircraft induced vibrations during flight this makes the weaponry easier to target [Music] hey to fit the wings workers use a precision hydraulic lift known as the wing tool the tool holds the wing in place and straight while it's bolted tight it also stops the heavy wing from straining the support pins during installation so further bolts secure the underside of the wing a special wrench is used to ensure that the torque is not too tight [Music] there you go foreign hmm [Music] [Music] so [Music] plot [Music] [Music] [Applause] you

Channel: Ben's Factory

Views: 1,640,894

Keywords: helicopter factory, helicopter production, helicopter manufacturing, apache helicopter, apache ah-64 factory, apache helicopter factory, bell helicopter factory, bell helicopter production, bell huey production, bell huey 2 factory, bell huey 2 helicopter, boeing apache helicopter production, boeing apache helicopter factory, boeing apache ah-64, boeing ah-64 apache attack helicopter, helicopter assembly line, apache helicopter assembly, bell helicopter assembly, helicopters

Id: D0hQN4JvtSw

Length: 18min 19sec (1099 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 09 2022