The Army is making a significant investment into the newly designated FOX model Kiowa Warrior to ensure the helicopter continues to be a combat multiplier while working to respond rapidly to operational needs, officials said late Monday.
The new Kiowa Warrior FOX model is expected to provide leap-ahead technology and begin fielding in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015.
The FOX model will achieve this new capability by implementing a Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP), officials said at the Association of the United States Army annual conference in Washington, D.C.
The FOX program launched by PM Kiowa Warrior is in accordance with the Defense Department guidance to spend near-term armed reconnaissance helicopter funds to sustain the existing Kiowa Warrior fleet.
The FOX model leverages non-developmental items and systems fielded on other aviation platforms to rapidly install, modify or provide the following: advanced Nose Mounted Sensor, improved cockpit control hardware and software for enhanced situational awareness, service officials said. Also, there will be three full-color Multi-function Displays, dual-redundant digital engine controller for enhanced engine safety, digital inter-cockpit communications, digital Hellfire future upgrades, Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) upgrades, and a redesigned aircraft wiring harness, the service said.
Additionally, the FOX model will integrate Level 2 manned-unmanned teaming, common missile warning system (CMWS), health and usage monitoring (HUMS), and enhanced weapons functionality.
The Air Force, which is in charge of such things, Sept. 8 approved the Army’s request for an OH-58F Mission, Design, and Series designation.
The Kiowa warrior product management office continues to work to rapidly respond to operational needs within the fielded OH-58D fleet.
Since combat operations began in 2001 in Afghanistan and 2003 in Iraq, the Kiowa Warrior squadrons in theater account for 47 percent of the reconnaissance/attack platforms in theater and have flown 52 percent of the total reconnaissance/attack hours, officials said. This total time reflects an operational tempo (OPTEMPO) of approximately 80 hours per month across both theaters, currently the highest for all Army aviation assets.
This OPTEMPO coupled with the airframe’s 39-year average age has provided opportunity for upgrades and improvements in direct response to warfighter needs.
Most recently, the PM has received Operational Needs Statements for Level 2 Manned/Unmanned (L2MUM) Teaming functionality and cockpit floor armor.
For the floor armor, the Kiowa Warrior product manager launched an initiative with Lifeport Interiors Inc. To date, the lightweight floor armor has completed testing and has been proven to increase ballistic protection coverage in an area critical to crew survival based on OIF/OEF combat experiences. The installed kit weighs in at just 8.6 pounds and is capable of defeating 7.62 rounds. Fielding will be prioritized to those units operating in OIF/OEF with deliveries beginning in first quarter FY’11, officials said.
In October 2009, the KW PM was notified about an urgent operational requirement for Manned Unmanned (MUM) Teaming and full motion video transfer capability in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
For the fastest result, the program office leveraged the results of an earlier MUM teaming demonstration conducted by the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD). The AATD program demonstrated a highly effective and light weight Level 2 MUM capability in July 2009, successfully receiving and transmitting full motion video between Kiowa Warrior and an AH-64D Longbow Apache, Raven unmanned aerial system (UAS) and a Shadow UAS simulator. Building on this demonstration, the KW product manager and AATD completed development of a federated Level 2 MUM solution that delivers superior frequency agility, waveforms, encryption, operating ranges, and weight. This capability will begin fielding in the first quarter of FY ’11.