Lockheed Martin to design advanced helicopter turret electronics for AH-1Z targeting pod

Oct. 22, 2015
CRANE, Ind. 22 Oct. 2015. U.S. Navy aviation experts are asking Lockheed Martin Corp. to design and build advanced helicopter turret electronics for precise control of a state-of-the-art electro-optical sensor and targeting pod aboard the U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.
CRANE, Ind. 22 Oct. 2015. U.S. Navy aviation experts are asking Lockheed Martin Corp. to design and build advanced helicopter turret electronics for precise control of a state-of-the-art electro-optical sensor and targeting pod aboard the U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.

Officials of the Naval Surface Weapons Center-Crane in Crane, Ind., have announced a $9.6 million contract modification to the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., to design the Turret Electronic Unit (TEU) versatile performance switching version.

The TEU is a component of the Target Sight System (TSS) aboard the Marine Corps AH-1Z attack helicopter, which provides target identification and tracking, and passive targeting for weapons like the Hellfire air-to-ground missile. The Viper helicopter's TSS has a laser-designator to help direct U.S. and allied laser-guided munitions. friendly laser-guided weapons.

This TEU order includes test equipment station; circuit card assembly; test and measurement; and engineering drawings. The contract modification is in response to an engineering change proposal that Lockheed Martin suggested for integrating the new Target Sight System aboard the AH-1Z Venom helicopter.

Related: Lockheed Martin to build 14 electro-optical fire-control systems for Marine Corps AH-1Z Cobra gunships

The Navy is awarding the contract modification to Lockheed Martin sole-source because Lockheed Martin is the original equipment manufacturer of the TEU and the TSS. Lockheed Martin needs to do some non-recurring engineering to fit the new TEUs on the AH-1Z helicopters to function properly with the new Target Sight Systems.

The TSS integration into AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter is part of the Marine Corps H-1 upgrades program, which is rebuilding legacy AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH-1N Twin Huey utility helicopters with state of the art designs.

The H-1 program is converting AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters to AH-1Z Viper helicopters, and is converting UH-1N Twin Huey utility helicopters to UH-1Y Venom helicopters.

On this contract modification Lockheed Martin will do the work in Orlando, Fla.,; and Ocala, Fla., and should be finished by June 2017. For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com/us/mfc, or the Naval Surface Weapons Center-Crane at www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/WarfareCenters/NSWCCrane.

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