Apache Helicopter Pilots Take Aim with Arrowhead Nov 28, 2018 04:56 UTC
November 28/18: Night vision The US Army Contracting Command is modifying external link a contract with Lockheed Martin. The company will receive an extra $79 million to cover further work on Apache night vision sensor systems, subcomponent production and technical services. Night vision is enabled by Lockheed’s M-TADS/PNVS Arrowhead. Arrowhead is an electro-optical and fire control system that the Apache helicopter pilots use for combat targeting of their Hellfire missiles and other weapons, as well as flying in day, night, or bad weather missions. The Apache’s night vision sensors work on the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which detects the infrared light released by heated objects. The FLIR sensor has three fields-of-view, a multi-target tracker, multiple-code laser spot tracking, and internal boresight. Work locations and relevant funding will be determined with each order. The contract is set to run through October 2021.
Keep reading for the whole story with recent events put in context
For much of the post-WWII era, US helicopter pilots have been trained to fly “low and fast.†This was based on combat experience in Korea and Vietnam. In the urban environments of Iraq and Afghanistan, however, flying low and fast has made helicopters more vulnerable to a number of threats: terrain, wires/powerlines, rocket propelled grenades, small arms fire, and shoulder-fired missiles.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/arrowhead-mtads-pnvs-sensor-system-06461/
