Apache Longbow Program Brings New Technology To Army Aviation

Army, Jan 2005 by Gourley, Scott R

As announced in late July, U.S. Army planners intend to accelerate the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program by spiraling four distinct sets of technological capabilities forward into Current Force elements.

In many ways the approach mirrors the introduction of technology advances that continue to take place under the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter program. In fact, with the upgrade of the AH-64A Apache to the AH-64D Apache Longbow, the Army implemented a phased modernization strategy that provides a representative archetype of new technology introduction into a Current Force fleet.

In the case of the Apache Longbow, the technology modernization is taking place in blocks, with each block encompassing several lots. The first phase of Apache Longbow modernization includes a total of 284 AH-64A aircraft (out of a total build of 821 AH-64As) remanufactured to AH-64D Block I (Lots 1-6) configuration. Significant enhancements in the Block I program include targeting, firepower, information sharing, crew station integration and supportability.

Block II modernization (Lots 7-10) provides further increases in information sharing, targeting and night pilotage.

The Army's introduction of this technology spiral began in February 2003, when Boeing delivered the first production model Block II Apache Longbow to the U.S. Army at ceremonies at the Boeing facility in Mesa, Ariz.

According to Boeing representatives, the Block II configuration now being fielded incorporates the latest in advanced avionics, digital enhancements and communications upgrades that facilitate improved situational awareness as the helicopter communicates within the Tactical Internet.

Col. Ralph Pallotta, U.S. Army Apache project manager, used the February 2003 Block II ceremonies to observe, "It is successes like these and the integration of new technologies that keep the Apache an important asset in today's Army, and that has caused leadership to select the AH-64D Apache Longbow as an integral component within the Objective Force."

During the October 2004 AUSA Annual Meeting, Col. Pallotta expanded on his initial praise for the Block II technology integration effort. "The Block II aircraft, which is currently being fielded at Fort Hood, is actually in combat in Iraq today and has been very successful with the 1st of the 227th [1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment]," he said. "We're continuing to field the Block II aircraft and will field a total of 217 of those before we move on to our Block III aircraft."

He continued, "Block II brings greater capability in situational awareness, digital messaging, digital maps, and enemy and friendly situational awareness on those maps, and it also brings the soldiers a fully recapitalized aircraft, other than with the M-TADS/PNVS system [modernized target acquisition and designation sight/pilot night vision sensor]. We're very proud of those [Block II] aircraft, and they're doing well."

The M-TADS system referenced by Pallotta is a nextgeneration day/night sensor. Developed as a joint Boeing and Lockheed Martin program under Team Apache Systems, M-TADS/PNVS provides advanced target acquisition/designation and night vision capabilities for U.S. Army Aviation using improved Arrowhead(TM) kits supplied by Lockheed Martin.

The Arrowhead modules, which will replace TADS/PNVS(TM) hardware using a field retrofit kit at the flight line, will provide safe flight in day, night or adverse weather. The upgraded system logged its first flight aboard an Apache Longbow in early November 2003 with the Army first unit equipped projected for June 2005.

In addition to significant performance improvements, Arrowhead will improve reliability by over 150 percent, cut maintenance actions by nearly 60 percent and reduce field maintenance to two levels-achieving a savings that approaches $1 billion in Army operation and support costs over the 20-year system life.

This type of synergy between new technologies and resulting maintenance benefits was another point of emphasis by the Army's Apache project manager at the recent AUSA Annual Meeting.

"Besides adding greater capability, we always try to reduce the maintenance burden on the soldier and to reduce the ownership costs of this aircraft," Pallotta said. "Because that's always been something that was 'stuck in our eye' back in the 1990s, we've done a lot to bring things down, and the recapitalization program is a major player in that, as well as the remanufacture line," he added.

"As of the first of September, we changed the phase interval on the aircraft from 250 hours to 500 hours," he explained. "We also changed the lO-hour/14-day inspection to a 25-hour/14-day inspection. When you put those things out to the field you've just significantly reduced the maintenance burden on the soldiers out there. Because of the improvements we've had in the reliability of the aircraft, and because for the last three years we've been doing a study and analysis on all the different inspections on the aircraft, we've basically been able to eliminate a lot of inspections. We're able to do things smarter, but we've had a 'tiger team' kind of effort for the last two to three years. They've been working farther and farther down that road and eventually we were able to come to the conclusion that we can now double the interval, so that the soldiers have less of a maintenance burden. That was a very 'good news story' for everyone out in the field, and it covered both 'A' and 'D' model aircraft-and both varieties of 'D' models, both Block Is and Block Us."