European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday october 2, 1986 the stars and stripes Pego 9 army units getting 1 St look at new gunship by Mike Heronemus stall writer Gie Belstadt Germany selected . Com Manders and units Art getting a preview of the army s newest attack helicopter the ah-64a Apache. Although Fielding for the Apache in Usa eur units ii not planned until Early i9ss. Two of the gunships Are on a mom Long demonstration tour. The aircraft took 11 years from development to production said William Cressaty International Market ing manager for Mcdonnell Douglas helicopter co. The key Advance in the Apache Over the cobra is that it can fight at  he Laid. Chief warrant officer Michael r. Smith has Bee flying army Helicon pm for six years. The oh-58 Kiowa Pilot with cob 13th attack helicopter in Al Gic Belstadt army Airfield said the cockpit on the Apache looks a lot cleaner than the cobra s. It looks a lot easier to Fly he said tuesday. It s organized  the Hal firc missile and 30mm Chain gun impressed capt. Jelt g. Wyns the mom. The Kiowa Pilot assigned to 25lh aviation co at Gic Belstadt became familiar with cobras while assigned As a scout Pilot with 3rd so file Cov brigade air combat the unit at fort Hood Texas that sent the apaches and Crew members to Germany for the orientations i understand it s still not instrument rated for administrative Flig Lils at night and in Adverse weather but it la be Good tactically Wyns said. The Apache like the cobra it will replace is a tank killer. It s an effective tank killer said 1st la. Eduard Gutierrez platoon Leader in troop a 3rd so. 6th Cav brigade air combat fort Hood. The next stops for the hid copiers will Beai supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and nato Headquarters in Belgium said it. Col. John  Hara assistant manager for the Apache program., assistant r for the Apache program. Soldiers from a fort Hood Texas Squadron work on an All-fi4a Apache helicopter in , Germany. Is Aren f whining about temporary duty on Rhine by Mike Heronemus two aircraft far Ocean transport and to travel with the it look nine Days to Cross the Atlantic to Rotterdam 1 a t l i   a.  in i-ln.mnnar4 a null vhf 4nhc if uh1c Pinic Al fat Cir it vol vol or flt Al i y Mike s stuff Mettr Gie Belstadt Germany two fort Hood sol Diers might have a hard Lime convincing their buddies Back in Texas that their temporary duty escorting two new Apache helicopters to Germany involved work especially when the others hear about the Rhine River  was terrific especially the castles and Vine Yards sol. Eric e. Rings said of the three Days he an spec. A Jimmy Dupuy spent on a dutch Barge floating Down the Rhine. The two soldiers spent a lot of time dangling their legs Over the front of the Barge watching the scenery slip  the River cruise was just the end of a Long voyage that began in Charleston , 21, and Dupuy 22, of b troop. 3rd so 6th Cav brigade air combat we a assigned to prepare the to gunships to make sure they were not damaged. In Charleston the two soldiers took off the Rotor Blades wings and belly antennae and packed hem in crates. Meanwhile other workers were encasing each helicopter with a thick plastic like material rings  plastic was then shrunk against the aircraft hulls using a Torch. The cover was Wing tested for use in protecting the helicopters against damage rings said rings Dupuy the two apaches and the Crew of the american Falcon then made their Way up the East coast making a couple of port Calls before Docking in new York. During the dockings Dupuy and i would guard the aircraft so the stevedores would t run into them wit their Fork  rings said. They gel kind of wild when they re  it too s t Crosth c t Rotterdam Netherlands. It was rings first Ocean voyage and the weather Vas great he said. We had maybe two rough Days. It did t bother me too much. The Crew said they were a  at Rotterdam the apaches were loaded onto a dutch Barge in tandem with another carrying new 10 ton trucks and tank retrievers for the . Army. For three Days they were pushed Down the Rhine River by a dutchman his wife his Nephew and a Crew of three. They put a two Man egg shape camper trailer on Board the Barge for Dupuy and me to sleep in rings said. Going Back to Texas will be much quicker for rings from Colchester. 111., and Dupuy from Jacksonville a. The apaches will be loaded aboard a c-5a Galaxy at Ramstein a and Down Back to fort Hood with in demonstration Crew that has been in Germany for the past month. Iceland preparing for superpower Security Reykjavik Iceland up1 police and government officials scrambled tuesday to work out Security details for the oct. 11-12 meeting Between president Reagan and soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland a Small North Atlantic nation that has no armed forces of is own. It was Gorbachev who asked for us to play Host to the meeting prime minister string amur Hermannsson told a news briefing in Reykjavik within an hour of the tuesday announcements in Moscow and in the United Stales. Soviet ambassador Yevgeny Kosa Rev called on Hermannsson monday morning and asked if Iceland would agree to be Host for a meeting be tween the superpower leaders. Later monday . Ambassador Nicholas Ruwe paid a similar visit to the government said Hermannsson adding that his government at an emergency session tuesday decided to say yes to the superpowers. Police met tuesday afternoon with government officials on Security measures for the superpower leaders who Are expected to bring in their own Security personnel As Well. Hermannsson said he did not know Why Reykjavik had been chosen it venue but agreed Iceland from a Geo Grap ucal viewpoint is Ideal a Remote Island located jut below the Arctic Cir Cle Halfway Between Washington and Moscow. A Western Diplomat suggested ice land a nation of 240,000 Viking descendants would be made into a Security Haven Given its Island geography. Police began tuesday enforcing strict Security procedures in and around the Wand and in particular at the International Kef Lavik Airport which lies 20 Miles Southwest of Reykjavik. Airport authorities said that All flights above the Island during the period of the Summit were expected to be banned for Security reasons and that Kcf Lavik police would be greatly in creased. Reykjavik a City of 90,000, has some 500 policemen most of who i arc usually unarmed. All have been trained in the use of guns but Only members of a crack squad carry weapons regularly. Apart from three armed fishery Protection vessels one coast guard patrol aircraft and two helicopters Iceland is the Only nato member nation without a National defense of its own. The coast guard is there to protect Iceland s 200-mile fishing limit for which ii fought three so called cod wars with Britain in the 1970s. Fish ing is the nation s main income source. The strategic Island a possible Easl West flashpoint if War broke out is defended by 3,000 . Air Force and Navy personnel based at Kef Lavik. Hermannsson said that although ice land would provide Security for the Summit the costs of the meeting would be met entirely and jointly by the United states and the soviet Union. The prime minister whose govern ment is facing elections next Spring said his country had never before been he scene of a superpower meeting of this  Iceland afforded a meeting place to president Nixon and French president Georges Pompidou in 1972 at a Lime of worsening Franco american relations. Minutes after the announcement i Moscow the sleepy capital of Reykjavik was swamped by Telephone Calls from the outside world. Most reporter tried in vain to gel hotel rooms because the icelandic for eign ministry moved quickly to Block most Central hotels reserving 400rooms for the . And soviet official delegations