The Army’s OH-58F Kiowa Warrior recently completed its first flight at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., with a Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade (CASUP) that marks the addition of the most current technology available.
In Huntsville, Army officials commemorated the first flight and the first new designation change–F–since 1990.
“The OH-58 Kiowa Warrior is a phenomenal aircraft and continues to prove itself as an indispensible armed scout asset for our ground commanders,” said Maj. Gen. William “Tim” Crosby, program executive officer for Army Aviation. “I’m extremely proud of the Army aviation enterprise team who has worked very hard to give our soldiers the current capabilities they need to win in the battlefield.”
Meanwhile, in Washington, Army Secretary John McHugh noted to the Defense Writers Group that “the Kiowa has been an amazing platform, but it’s almost as old as I am, over 40 years old.”
The previous D-model Kiowa was developed and fielded in the late 1980s, and has flown over 820,000 combat hours, the Army said in a statement. In May 2009, the Army authorized the Armed Scout Helicopter Project Office to begin examining methods to upgrade the aircraft.
Bell Helicopter [TXT] was the original equipment manufacturer.
In a first for Army aviation, the service took the role of system integrator for the Kiowa Warrior upgrade effort.
This approach to development, integration, and production keeps the government and contracted engineer developers working directly with military and government program management, and it brings significant cost savings, the service said.
By taking on the role as system integrator, the Army saves more than $37 million during the research, development, and test and evaluation phase, and more than $551 million during the procurement/production phase, the service statement said.
Additionally, the government also will own many of the data rights necessary to foster full and open competition for production.
Armed Scout Helicopter Project Manager Col. Robert Grigsby said, “With the Army as integrator, we can maximize capability while minimizing taxpayer impact. Controlling the design allows us to rapidly field mature technologies to support the soldiers who depend on the Kiowa Warrior.”
The F-model Kiowa Warrior capitalizes on non-developmental items and systems fielded on other aviation platforms to rapidly install, modify, or provide the following: advanced nose mounted sensor, improved cockpit control hardware and software for enhanced situational awareness, three full color multi-function displays, a dual-redundant digital engine controller for enhanced engine safety, digital inter-cockpit communications, digital Hellfire future upgrades, Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) upgrades, and a redesigned aircraft wiring harness.
It didn’t take the new system integrator–the Army–long to get the F model and CASUP going, as CASUP Product Manager Lt. Col. Mathew Hannah said: “In early 2012, this aircraft was merely 500+ PowerPoint charts in engineering briefs. Watching the design evolve through the production build-up and to first flight has been incredible.”
The Army officially received and sent to test the first OH-58F in November.
The Army said the OH-58F also weighs 160 pounds less than the OH-58D, which will allow commanders more flexibility in adding capabilities in other areas such as fire power, endurance, and load.
“Ultimately, [Kiowa Warrior] pilots and crew members will be able to perform their mission more effectively, more efficiently and more safely,” Col. John Lynch, Training and Doctrine Capability Manager for the Reconnaissance Attack fleet, said in a statement. “The improvements in sensor performance provide the ability to detect, mark and engage targets from greater standoff ranges, protecting the crew and aircraft while performing the mission of supporting ground troops.”