Apache Gets Second Generation FLIRs
Team Apache Systems, the Limited Liability Company of Boeing and Lockheed Martin has finalized an agreement with the U.S. Army for Lot 1 production of the ArrowheadTM Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS). In place of the first-generation TADS/PNVS, Arrowhead uses the second-generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) technology of the RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter. It improves the range and resolution of Apache sensors and promises to reduce fleet Operating and Support (O&S) costs.
The $260 million agreement covers the first 55 Arrowhead systems for the U.S. Army and foreign customers. M-TADS is scheduled to achieve Initial Operational Capability in 2005. The U.S. Army intends to buy 704 systems by 2009 to outfit the Apache fleet.
Current Block II, production Lot VII AH-64Ds are the first Apaches to receive the enhanced sensors. M-TADS/PNVS can also be installed on existing AH-64D- and A-model Apaches in the field. It works with the Apache Integrated Helmet And Display Sighting System (IHADSS) and a new TADS Electronic Display and Control (TEDAC).
Clear digital imagery from the new sensors is expected to enhance the lethality, survivability, and safety of the AH-64 attack helicopter. First-generation TADS thermal imagers used in Operation Iraqi Freedom enabled Apache crews to identify ground targets with confidence only out to around 3 km. The sharper imagery and greater range of M-TADS can help identify targets and prevent fratricide out to the full 8 km standoff range of the Hellfire missile. In addition, the new M-PNVS infrared sensor and integrated image intensifier will help pilots spot hazards at night.
Compared to the first-generation Apache electronics, Lockheed Martin estimates M-TADS/PNVS should improve reliability 150% and reduce maintenance actions around 60%. The new system streamlines maintenance from three to two levels to save the Army nearly $1 billion in operation and support costs over the life of the system. The Institute for Defense Analyses calculates the first-generation TADS/PNVS accounts for about 30% of overall Apache O&S costs.
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