The US Army wanted an attack helicopter that was better than its AH-1 Cobra in leathality, firepower, performance and range with high maneuverability for nap-of-the-earth flying. This resulted in the Advanced Attack Helicopter contest on 15 Nov 1972. Proposals were submitted by Bell, Boeing Vertol/Grumman team, Hughes, Lockheed, and Sikorsky. In Jul 1973, Bell and Hughes were finalist and could develop their proposals. In 1976 the Apache was selected. In 1983 the 2nd AH-64 prototype (this AV2) visited Le Bourget. Hughes was purchased in 1984 by McDonnell Douglas that merged with Boeing in 1997.