Lockheed Martin [LMT] said the Army awarded it a $19 million follow-on production contract for the VNsight low-light-level TV capability for AH-64D Apache helicopters.
“When blended with the outstanding (Pilot Night Vision Sensor) PNVS output, this additional electro-optical sensor provides composite pilotage imagery unmatched by any other system,” Lt. Col. Steve Van Riper, Army Apache Sensors product manager, said.
The VNsight Lot 2 production contract will supply 112 sensors and spares for four Army Apache battalions, plus additional Foreign Military Sales Sensors, the company said the Association of the U.S. Army annual conference in Washington this week.
The VNsight visible/near infrared sensor provides Apache pilots with significant tactical advantages particularly in low-light-level conditions.
The VNsight is integrated into the Modernized PNVS, the system that incorporates the combat-proven Modernized target Acquisition Designation Sight/PVNS (M-TADS/PVNS), which is also called Arrowhead.
By blending VNsight imagery with the M-PNVS forward looking infrared (FLIR) imagery, pilots can see military and civilian lighting accurately overlaid on the FLIR image over the full 30-by-40 degree field of view of the M-PVNS. This means safer flying conditions and improved mission capability by improving situational awareness in low-light conditions and situations where existing light sources cannot be imaged by FLIR.
Matt Hoffman, Arrowhead program director in Lockheed Maertin’s Missile and Fire Control business, said, “VNsight Lot 2 enables us to upgrade 30 percent of all Apache battalions currently equipped with M-TADS/PVNS.”
The Army awarded Lockheed Martin the original M-TADS/PNVS contract in 2003. The first systems were theater in 2005. In February, Lockheed Martin and the Army marked the 1,000th Arrowhead delivery.
The new Boeing [BA] Apache Block III, with the first production aircraft to arrive next month, also will have the M-TADS/PVNS. As the aircraft move through the production line, much of the M-TADS/PVNS unit will be reused and refreshed. The Army Apache office aim is consistently to “design out obsolescence and design in maintainability and reliability” and take advantage of new capabilities.