The aircraft, a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm where it served as an AH-64 Apache, lifted off at 10:11 a.m. and flew for 30 minutes. McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems production test pilots Walt Jones and Jerry Keyser flew the remanufactured aircraft, which had served with the 1-82nd Attack Helicopter Battalion at Fort Bragg, N.C., from October 1987 until April 1994 when it was transferred to the 6th Cavalry Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas.

"Everything went exceptionally well," said Keyser, the company's chief pilot, who flew in the co-pilot gunner's seat. "It was a clean flight and we're very pleased with its performance."

During the flight, the aircraft reached forward speeds of 45 knots and sideward flight to 20 knots, in addition to a wide range of hover maneuvers.

The first remanufactured AH-64D Apache Longbow, a 10-year-old veteran of Panama and Iraq, will roll out March 21 at the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems facility in Mesa, Ariz., home of all Apache production programs.

Production will be gradually increasing, moving from one aircraft a month this year to five aircraft a month by 1999. McDonnell Douglas is operating under a five-year, multi-year contract with the U.S. Army for 232 remanufactured Apache Longbows. The contract, worth $1.9 billion, will push initial production of Apache Longbows past the turn of the century and sets the stage for the U.S. Army to remanufacture its entire fleet of more than 750 AH-64As.

The Apache Longbow's fire control radar and advanced avionics suite give combat pilots the ability to rapidly detect, classify, prioritize and engage stationary or moving enemy targets at standoff ranges.

The AH-64D is being developed by a team that includes the U.S. Army, McDonnell Douglas as total systems integrator, and a joint venture comprised of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman develop the Longbow Fire Control Radar and the radar frequency Hellfire missile.

To date, eight nations, including the United States, have selected the Apache for their defense needs. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom recently became the first two international customers to select the AH-64D for their armed services.