Archive for the 'Apache helicopters' Category
Aug 06, 2009, post by awatrobski
Korea needs its own attack helicopters, versatile craft able to solve the problems of the 21st century, whether the U.S. Apaches depart or not.
Speculation has arisen that the United States Forces Korea will withdraw a battalion of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters as Seoul resumes full wartime operational control of its armed forces in 2012. There are also reports that the Korean military is pushing for the creation of an attack helicopter unit by early or mid-2010.
It is clear that the United States does not want to use its highly effective battalion of attack helicopters only on the Korean Peninsula. It’s also clear that Korea needs to bolster its defense capabilities. Without the two sides’ official statements on this matter, the speculation seems convincing.
The issue of the creation of Korea’s own attack helicopter unit, however, needs to be discussed beyond the concept of filling the hole in its deterrent capability that could be left by the withdrawal of the American Apache battalion.
The realignment of the U.S.-Korea relationship took place during the discussions about the future of the alliance between the two countries in 2003 and 2004 and the Security Policy Initiative meetings since 2005. The core of these discussions has been the improvement of the strategic cooperative partnership through the institution of inclusive ties.
During the course of the realignment, Seoul and Washington agreed that the Korean military’s responsibilities and duties for defending the Korean Peninsula would be gradually expanded. The number of USFK Apache helicopters was reduced once already during the course of the realignment, and the United States deployed F-16s and F-15s to replace them. Even if the Apache battalion does withdraw from the peninsula in the future, that is only part of the planned realignment of the U.S.-Korea alliance. It is an exaggeration to say that the U.S. security pledge for Korea has weakened.
Korea’s plan to form its own attack helicopter unit should be approached with the attitude that the country is upgrading its capabilities for the future, rather than filling a hole. Whether the Apache battalion stays on the peninsula or not, the Korean military needs to develop attack helicopters on its own. Attack helicopters are effective for deterring armored forces, and they would also do well against North Korean special forces.
The deployment of Korea-made attack helicopters would also be a meaningful step in the Korean military’s transformation into a professional, elite force. Attack helicopter units are valuable parts of many military renovation projects around the world and would serve various future demands. Counterterrorism and international peacekeeping will become more and more important for Korea’s future security requirements, and such activities require mobility and the ability to connect ground and aerial operations effectively.
Based on their advanced military power, other countries are likely to push forward with a brand of “gunboat diplomacy” for the 21st century. Taking into account that situation, Korea needs to set up at least one or two properly equipped units with advanced capabilities.
To form an attack helicopter unit, not only the choppers but also an appropriate organizational system and experience operating them are necessary. The task, therefore, cannot be postponed forever. Even though aerial vehicles supporting ground combat will become unmanned in the future, this country first needs to accumulate enough data on manned aerial vehicles before it will be able to operate unmanned aircraft effectively.
The plan to create a Korean attack helicopter unit must be laid out within the lager scheme and timetable of improving the nation’s military capabilities. After deciding the year of the unit’s launch, the nation must concentrate all its efforts to realize the plan. Establishing the fundamental framework of the project should be accomplished first, before thinking about whether to procure U.S.-built Apache helicopters or to build Korea’s own choppers to form a unit.
May 15, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
The US Army has decided to upgrade all of its remaining AH-64A Apache helicopters into more capable D-models to fill gaps left by the cancellation of the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) programme.
During a 23 April hearing on aviation programmes, Director of Army Aviation Brigadier General Walter Davis told Congress that all four National Guard battalions that were slated to replace their A-model Apaches with new ARH platforms have now been approved to be upgraded to the AH-64D Longbow instead.
May 14, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
The Obama administration’s plans to cancel the US Navy-operated VH-71 presidential helicopter programme are running into resistance on Capitol Hill.
President Barack Obama proposed cancelling the new Lockheed Martin/Agusta Westland VH-71 presidential helicopter because of cost overruns and schedule delays.
“The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,” Obama said. “On a more serious note,” he added, “I think it is an example of the procurement process gone amok. And we’re going to have to fix it.”
The original cost for 23 VH-71 helicopters was estimated at USD6.5 billion, but that number has ballooned to USD13 billion and the programme is six years behind schedule. Now, however, some US lawmakers are warning that cancelling the over-budget helicopter programme altogether might amount to throwing good money after bad.
The administration’s proposal in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget to halt the programme would leave the government with no new helicopters after spending USD3.2 billion on the VH-71 so far. Cancelling the programme could also potentially result in costly termination fees, and could mean spending additional money to extend the life of the president’s current fleet of ageing Sikorsky VH-3D Sea Kings and VH-60 Black Hawks.
Mar 25, 2009, post by Artur Nowak
Boeing has demonstrated for the first time the ability to deliver streaming video over a mobile, ad hoc tactical network from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a Chinook helicopter and ground troops.
The demonstration conducted in Brisabane, Australia proved that the high-bandwidth connection could deliver beyond line-of-sight video thereby allowing increasing situational awareness to warfighters equipped to receive video.
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems architect and technical fellow for avionics and software, Tom DuBois said that the network was ahead of its time in many ways.
“The network’s open architecture means it can operate simultaneously with other transformational communication systems, while also supporting UAV sensor visualisation, white board, chat and network-based situational awareness displays,” DuBois said.
Vice president and general manager of Boeing Network and Space Systems Australia said that the network solution would be available from today.
“Tactically networked aircraft and ground units will be able to respond quicker due to the ability to instantly and effortlessly communicate data to and coordinate with troops on land, in aircraft or at sea,” said Parker.
more > army-technology.com
Mar 12, 2009, post by Marcin Frackiewicz
Boeing Co. is incorporating new technology in the next generation of Apache Longbow helicopters that will enable pilots to control unmanned aircraft from their cockpits.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, are pilotless aircraft that have helped the military gather video footage and other data in dangerous combat areas without putting soldiers directly at risk.
The use of UAVs has grown in recent years, spurred by the military’s demand for aircraft that can gather enemy data without exposing the location of soldiers and pilots. The vehicles range from ultrasmall gadgets that fit in the palm of a person’s hand to aircraft the size of a personal airplane.
The ability to navigate a UAV while piloting an Apache helicopter is one of several upgrades Boeing is making to its Apache line, which pumps millions of dollars into the firm’s Mesa operations.
The Army has awarded Boeing contracts for the Apache Block III program, valued at $647 million. Block III refers to the helicopter’s next phase.
Most UAVs are now controlled by ground-based pilots.
Some existing Apache helicopters by Boeing can receive, inside the cockpit, data that UAVs collect with cameras and sensors. But current models of the attack helicopter do not have the technology for pilots to actually navigate UAVs while flying the Apache.
To do so now, pilots must communicate with those operating the UAV from the ground.
“It just adds to the pilot workload,” said Scott Rudy, program manager for the Apache Block III. “One of the things that we’ve spent a fair amount of time on is ensuring that the pilot workload remains at a manageable level so he can accomplish the tasks he’s got to complete.”
To increase pilot efficiency, Boeing is installing a data-link device developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The link will enable the Apache pilots to communicate directly with UAVs, increasing their effectiveness, said Brian May, Block III project manager.
John Pike, director with defense-industry tracker GlobalSecurity.org in Alexandria, Va., said being able to navigate UAVs while manning the Apache is a major step forward.
“One of the key challenges is to figure out where am I supposed to be, where is my enemy, where can my firepower do the most good or . . . where can I go without being seen,” he said, adding that the enhancement helps achieve that.
Growing demand for UAVs is expected to double research-and-development and procurement costs for such aircraft from $4.4 billion this year to $8.7 billion in 2018, according to Teal Group Corp., a defense- and aerospace-research firm in Fairfax, Va.
Boeing is using a UAV made by San Diego-based General Atomics called the Sky Warrior Armed Reconnaissance System.
The aircraft is 28 feet long with a 56-foot wingspan. It can fly up to 29,000 feet high and carry four Hellfire missiles.
Col. Shane Openshaw, Apache program manager for the Army, said all new Apache helicopters will have the wiring necessary to operate UAVs. Initially, only a fraction of new Apaches will be installed with a kit required to control the UAVs.
“The ability to have sensor data and control UAVs gives us situational awareness of what you can’t see from the cockpit,” Openshaw said.
‘We’re on schedule, and we’re on cost’
Chicago-based Boeing, which manufactures Apache helicopters at its campus near Falcon Field in Mesa, won a $27.2 million contract to develop Block III Apaches in 2005.
In 2006, the company received a contract to perform system development and testing for new Apaches worth $619.3 million. Boeing expects to begin production of the aircraft next year with delivery of the first Block III Apaches scheduled for June 2011.
Meanwhile government spending on defense weapons, vehicles, aircraft and other items is under scrutiny, with President Barack Obama pledging to crack down on overbudget contracting programs.
“It’s hard for us to speculate on what the president or Congress might do,” Rudy said. “Our job is to make sure we’re making the performance guidelines. We’re on schedule, and we’re on cost.”
Openshaw said the program is “right on track.”
“Like everybody, we’re preparing and looking at the possibility of getting reduced budgets, but I have not seen or heard anything specific to the Apache,” Openshaw said.
Boeing’s work on the Apache employs about 4,700 people in Mesa. The company expects to deliver 634 Block III Apaches through 2025, he said.
