HUNTSVILLE, Ala.–The first batch of Boeing [BA] AH-64 Apaches are set to receive color vision when they are re-manufactured from D-model to the latest E-model configuration, which includes installation of the Lockheed Martin [LMT] modernized day-sensor assembly.
Lockheed Martin in December received a $54.3 million production contract for Lot 1, Phase 2 production of the M-DSA, which calls for construction and installation of 35 sensors for the Army and Qatar Emiri air force. Lockheed Martin also is in the process of installing improved nose-mounted sensor turrets on the aircraft that are designed to cut down on maintenance costs and improve system reliability, said David Belvin, the company’s Apache program director.
“Those two assets have been in the inventory since we fielded Apache originally,” Belvin told Defense Daily here at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) 2016 Global Force Symposium. “They are legacy hardware since the ‘80s. So it’s in desperate need of modernization.”
Photo: U.K. MoD
Army officials are keen to field Apaches with the color full-motion video capabilities and the maintenance savings inherent in the turret design. M-DSA adds infrared imaging and color to the aircraft’s imaging capability. The current camera mounted on the port side of the sensor turret can capture only black and white imagery, even though the Apache cockpit screens display color.
“This is going to be a significant enhancement over legacy,” he said. “Black and white imagery causes challenges from an operational standpoint. … Near IR is important, but adding color is huge for situational awareness.”
The unit can now transmit more information to aircrews, like the color of a specific target structure or vehicle. With the legacy sensor, everything was some gradient of gray, which made targeting agreements with ground troops difficult.
“When you have 14 Toyota [TM] pickups in the desert, you are not sure which one is which, so it’s really an awesome capability for the air crews to better identify targets,” he said.
M-DSA also adds a third field of view that enables blending with imagery from the neighboring night sight and an inertia measurement unit that creates stable images at very long ranges up to several kilometers. The sight also includes long-range picture-in-picture display options and a laser pointer/marker that can shoot an eye-safe laser to designate targets for grounds troops.
Air crews can maintain a wide-angle view of an area while zooming in for an extreme close-up of a particular office window or vehicle in a parking lot. The zoomed-in image can be superimposed on the wider view so the air crew does not lose situational awareness.
Another benefit of the eye-safe laser is firing does not require a designated range, so crews can train with it at their home station. That cuts down on time and cost associated with travel from home station to a range, he said.
“It also supports two-level maintenance,” Belvin said. “They can be pulled off at the flight line and then sent to the depot. It’s much cheaper, quicker, keeps parts on the aircraft and is much easier for maintainers to maintain.”
The new high-reliability turret is expected to save the Army $500 million in operation and sustainment costs over the lifecycle of the system.
Previously, if problems occurred with any of the cameras attached to the Apache nose turret, the entire assembly would be removed for maintenance. Now maintenance crews can remove and replace individual components without disconnecting other sensors. They also can access azimuth motors and the internal workings of the gimbal on the flight line.
The legacy Apache turret is a single unit that includes the motors to direct the view, day sight, night sight and pilotage sensors. The new turret corrects 80 percent of the faults and failures found in the legacy design, including a 40 percent improvement in reliability, Belvin said.
“Again, the legacy is an extremely reliable system,” he said. “It has been in the field operating well since the ‘80s, which is almost unimaginable. Having something in the field that long is incredible. It was designed very well at the time.”
The larger modernized target acquisition designation sight/pilot night vision sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) program is operating on a performance-based logistics (PBL) contract under which Lockheed is paid based on the operational availability of the system and the aircraft. Since the inception of the PBL in 2007, the government has saved an estimated $200 million through minimizing logistics infrastructure, reduced maintenance cost and increased efficiency in supply availability and spare parts.
“The success of this program is really based upon a strong relationship between AMCOM [Army Aviation and Missile Lifecycle Management Command], the war fighter, Lockheed Martin and the depots,” Belvin said. “We’ve all coalesced together to make a great program that is really cost efficient for the Army to support the system.”