Army Aviation: Balancing the Equipment Challenges To Support Warfighters Today and Tomorrow

Army, Jan 2009 by Gourley, Scott R

Opening an Army Aviation Modernization panel briefing at the 2008 AUSA Annual Meeting in October, Brig. Gen. James O. Barclay III, Army Aviation branch chief and commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Warfighting Center and Fort Rucker, Ala., observed that the Aviation branch is balancing its responsibilities of continuing to support the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while meeting continuous demands to stay at high performance levels in terms of personnel, equipment, systems and training base.

'These tasks are all challenging, but we see them as achievable," Gen. Barclay said. "We are also endeavoring to shape and posture the Aviation branch for the future, both in the near term and far term."

Examples of Aviation's equipment balancing act between immediate, near- and far-term warfighter support can be found in a representative sampling of airframe activities.

Apache

One iconic example of the balancing act under way within the Army Aviation branch is the AH-64 Apache: Ongoing war needs are being met by a combination of new and remanufactured Block II AH-64D Apache Longbows rolling out of the Boeing plant in Mesa, Ariz. Immediate/ near-term needs are being addressed by the recent arrival of the first VUIT-2 equipped Block II Apache battalion in theater; far-term needs are being met by continuing flights of the next-generation Block III aircraft.

Black Hawk

In terms of immediate needs, in 2007 the Pentagon and U.S. Army approved the full-rate production of UH-60M baseline aircraft. In addition, approval was given for long-lead procurement actions for low-rate initial production quantity of UH-60M upgrade aircraft.

Technologies included in the UH-6OM upgrade are: fly-by-wire flight control system that incorporates "active stick" technology and dual channel-triple redundant flight control computers; glass cockpit which incorporates the common avionics architecture system (CAAS); and fully authorized digital engine control.

According to representatives of manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft, the M model is the culmination of "more than 30 years of technological advancement, improved performance and real-world experience." In June 2008, the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, became the first unit equipped with the UH-60M baseline model of the aircraft.

The Army moved a step closer to meeting tomorrow's warfighter needs last August, when Sikorsky conducted the first flight of a UH-60M upgrade Black Hawk at its West Palm Beach, Fla., facility. In recognizing the flight milestone, Col. L. Neil Thurgood, Utility Helicopter project manager for the U.S. PEO Aviation office, noted: "Today's first flight of the UH-60M upgrade aircraft with fly-bywire technology represents the next step in providing the U.S. military the best capability to execute its mission. This aircraft contains dramatic technological advances, yet retains and improves on the proven design of the world's most capable utility helicopter."

"The U.S. Army Utility Helicopters Project Office and Sikorsky Aircraft remain committed to the right technolo- gies, equipment and support infrastructure to empower our most important customer, the soldier," Col. Thurgood added. "The UH-60M upgrade demonstrates the balance Sikorsky and the U.S. Army have applied to address both current and future needs. Today's achievement is the result of dedicated effort and hard work by the entire upgrade program team."

The first delivery- out of a projected total quantity of ap- proximately 900 UH-60M upgrade aircraft - is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010.

Chinook

Army Aviation is also meeting both immediate and near-term warfighter requirements with ongoing activities surrounding the CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

Just three days before the UH-60M upgrade's first flight milestone, Boeing announced receipt of a multiyear U.S. Army contract valued at $4.3 billion for 181 CH-47F Chinooks and 10 additional Chinooks under fiscal year 2008 supplemental funding. The award included options for an additional 24 aircraft during the course of the contract.

The announcement served to highlight the contributions that the CH47F is making across the full spectrum of operational missions - including air assault, combat resupply, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, and transport.

Built at the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Township, Pa., the CH-47F helicopter delivers greater mission-critical capability for the warfighter with a newly designed, improved airframe, a Rockwell Collins CAAS cockpit and a BAE-designed digital advanced flight control system.

By late August 2008, Boeing Rotorcraft Systems had delivered 48 CH-47F helicopters to the U.S. Army.

Armed Reconnaissance

The Army's aviation balancing act has also been complicated by recent program termination decisions on the ARH-70A armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH).

The ARH had been intended to replace the Army's fleet of Bell Helicopter-built OH-58D Kiowa Warriors and to fill a void created by the 2004 cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche program.