Lockheed Martin to provide more electro-optical fire-control systems for Army AH-64 attack helicopters
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Lockheed Martin Corp. will provide the U.S. Army with an electro-optical fire-control system that helps AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crews fire weapons accurately and navigate safely in bad weather and at night.
Officials of the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $10.8 million order to the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control segment in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system and its subcomponents for the Boeing AH-64D/E Apache helicopter.
M-TADS/PNVS is the advanced electro-optical fire-control system for the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow and AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter that crews use for targeting and pilotage in day, night, and bad weather.
Fielded in 2005, M-TADS/PNVS increases standoff ranging for U.S. and allied forces while providing air crews with greater resolution for pilotage and targeting, enhancing situational awareness, compared to previous versions of the system, Lockheed Martin officials say.
The Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) of the M-TADS/PNVS enables crews of Apache helicopters to see color and near-infrared high resolution imagery on cockpit displays to help identify targets at standoff ranges. The M-DSA offers narrow field of view and extended-range picture-in-picture capability.
A high-reliability turret replaces the legacy TADS turret assembly as the structure that interfaces with the Apache aircraft and houses the M-TADS/PNVS sensors. It also houses the motors that drive the azimuth and elevation movement of the sensors.
On this order Lockheed Martin will do the work in Orlando, Fla., and should be finished by December 2024. For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa/.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
