By Ann Roosevelt
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Lockheed Martin [LMT] April 7 announced the Army awarded it a $172 million follow-on contract for Arrowhead electro-optical systems for AH-64 Apache helicopter crews.
The Arrowhead kit upgrades the infrared sensors and associated electronics on the Army’s Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (TADS/PVNS).
“It’s a state of the art system that won’t be equaled for 10 years,” Col. Derek Paquette, Army Apache project manager, said at the Army Aviation Association of America annual conference here.
“It’s the most advanced [forward looking infrared] FLIR on the market today.”
There’s a performance improvement factor of 10 over the current system, he said. However, still needing upgrades are the laser and dayside cameras. The laser will come first due to obsolescence issues.
What officials have heard from the field is that the system can see beyond the range of their weapons, and it’s the number one requested system by units about to deploy.
“It’s revolutionized the tactics,” because of its clarity and its stand off distance, Lt. Col. Scott Bosse, Apache Sensors product manager, said.
Bosse offered a vignette from Lt. Col. David Fee, former 1-82nd Battalion Commander, who said, “With Arrowhead we can now not only detect and identify the enemy, but we can discern his will.” Fee was the first unit equipped with Arrowhead in 2005, and went to Iraq for 15 months.
The Lot 5 agreement authorizes production of 126 Arrowhead kits and/or equivalent unit spares, foreign military sales kits and ground support equipment. With options, this will bring the total number of Arrowhead kits and/or systems to 785, Lockheed Martin said.
Paquette said every Longbow Apache would have the system by 2011.
The base contract for Lot 6 follow-on production options was also negotiated. The contract would be awarded in fiscal year 2009. Lot 6 covers production of 55 units for the United States, with the potential to include two additional foreign military sales customers. Lot 6 will carry Arrowhead kit production through early 2011 in Orlando and Ocala, Fla.
“The Lot 5 award extends our partnership with U.S. Army Aviation to expand the capabilities of Apache aviators with next-generation FLIR target acquisition, designation and night pilotage,” Bob Gunning, Apache Fire Control program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said. “Arrowhead has proven itself in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan to significantly enhance flight safety and enable our Apache aviators to employ its improved targeting capability with significant target standoff.”
Lockheed Martin signed the original TADS/PNVS production contract on April 30, 1982, and the first TADS/PNVS system was fielded in 1983. The first Arrowhead production contract was awarded on Nov. 11, 2003. Lockheed Martin rolled out the first Arrowhead system to the Army in May 2005, and completed integration on the first Apache helicopters in June 2005. Lot 5 represents the 25th anniversary of the product line’s continuous service to the Army.