LONGBOW LLC won a $90 million U.S. Army contract to upgrade the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter’s LONGBOW Fire Control Radar (FCR), Lockheed Martin said Wednesday.
LONGBOW is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NOC].
The contract directs LONGBOW to produce 84 Radar Electronics Units (REU) along with software updates.
Photo: Boeing
The FCR provides aircrews with automatic target detection, location, classification, and prioritization while also enabling rapid, multi-target engagement in all weather situations, over multiple terrains, and through battlefield obscurants, Lockheed Martin said.
The REU will replace two FCR electronics boxes, reducing overall system size, weight, maintenance, and power requirements. The units also provide the radar with increased processing capability to support new software features currently being developed.
“Our top priority is to deliver this new capability as quickly and efficiently as possible to support the Army’s fielding requirements,” Jim Messina, LONGBOW LLC president and director of LONGBOW programs at Lockheed Martin, said in a statement.
“We are pleased to continue to deliver LONGBOW FCR REUs to the U.S. Army. LONGBOW FCR is a highly versatile system that provides an unmatched advantage to the warfighter,” Anthony Joseph, LONGBOW LLC vice president and director of aviation systems at Northrop Grumman, added.
The contract extends production at Lockheed Martin’s Orlando and Ocala, Fla., facilities as well as Northrop Grumman’s Baltimore, Md., facility through January 2019.