By John McHale
WASHINGTON–The U.S. Army’s AH-64D Apache Longbow Block III helicopter upgrade is on pace for eventual deployment in the next few years, with upgrades planned for the UH-60M Black Hawk and Kiowa Warrior–the armed version of the OH-58D helicopter, said U.S. Army aviation officials at the Association of U.S. Army (AUSA) annual meeting in Washington last month.
“Just as everyone else, we are waiting to see how the new administration will respond to funding for Army aviation,” but these programs are moving along on schedule, said Paul Bogosian, program executive officer for U.S. Army Aviation at Fort Rucker, Ga.
“The Apache Block III made its first flight in August” and is continuing on schedule, Bogosian said. Many parts of the aircraft are being upgraded, including its avionics, he added. Bogosian made his remarks during a press briefing on Army Aviation at AUSA.
The biggest concern in any avionics upgrade is dealing with obsolescence issues that come with using today’s electronic components, Bogosian continued. The Apache systems are being designed with an open architecture to help manage component lifecycles and costs, he added.
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is the prime contractor for the Apache Block III program. The new technologies in the upgrade include: improved fire-control radar enhancements; radar-frequency interferometer enhancements, flexible digital communication; cognitive decision aiding equipment; automated parts identification; embedded diagnostics; and connectivity to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which will reduce the time from sensor to shooter.
Other manned helicopter platforms refreshed periodically or in earlier stages of a major retrofit are the Black Hawk UH 60M from Sikorsky in Shelton, Conn., and the Kiowa Warrior from Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, Bogosian says. Officials at Sikorsky announced that the UH-60M upgrade made its first flight in September.
Technologies for the Black Hawk upgrade include: a fly-by-wire flight control system that incorporates active stick technology and dual-channel, triple-redundant flight control computers; a glass cockpit with the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS), and a fully authorized digital engine control (FADEC). The UH-60M upgrade is the only fly-by-wire rotary wing aircraft in flight test, officials say.
The Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), produced by Bell Helicopter, was to replace the aging Kiowa Warrior. The Pentagon cancelled the ARH program last November.
