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Public Info Appropriated From:

http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/sma.htm#Main

Data Appropriated VIA Army Technology: http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/aptoc.htm#TOC

http://science.howstuffworks.com/apache-helicopter5.htm#

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/apache/

Several Years ago at an air show in Yakima, Washington an Army Rotorhead bragged how he can read a drivers license from a mile away with their telescoped photo ops system; "They demonstrated doing it from the air strip to a building approximately one mile away!

Key Data:

Crew2 - pilot and copilot / gunner

Dimensions:

Main Rotor Blade Diameter14,630cm Height 3,590cm

Empty Weight 5,352kg

Performance:

Maximum Cruising Speed 260km/h

Maximum Rate of Climb 942m/min

Maximum Vertical Rate of Climb 474m/min

Range400km on internal fuel 1,900km on internal and external fuel

Endurance 3hrs 9min on internal fuel

g Limit Values +3.5g to -0.5g

Sensors

The AH-64D Longbow Apache is equipped with the Northrop Grumman millimetre-wave Longbow radar. The Longbow fire control radar incorporates an integrated radar frequency interferometer for passive location and identification of radar-emitting threats. An advantage of millimetre wave is that it performs under poor-visibility conditions and is less sensitive to ground clutter. The short wavelength allows a very narrow beamwidth, which is resistant to countermeasures.

The Longbow Apache can effect an attack in 30 seconds. The radar dome is unmasked for a single radar scan and then remasked. The processors determine the location, speed and direction of travel of a maximum of 256 targets.

The target acquisition designation sight, TADS (AN/ASQ-170), and the pilot night vision sensor, PNVS (AN/AAQ-11), were developed by Lockheed Martin. The turret-mounted TADS provides direct-view optics, television and three-fields-of-view forward-looking infrared (FLIR) to carry out search, detection and recognition, and Litton laser rangefinder / designator. PNVS consists of a FLIR in a rotating turret located on the nose above the TADS. The image from the PNVS is displayed in the monocular eyepiece of the Honeywell integrated helmet And display sighting system, IHADSS, worn by the pilot and copilot / gunner.

Lockheed Martin has developed a new targeting and night vision system for the Apache, using second-generation long-wave infrared sensors with improved range and resolution. The new system is called Arrowhead and has a targeting FLIR with three fields of view, a dual field-of-view pilotage FLIR, a CCD TV camera, electronic zoom, target tracker and auto-boresight. Arrowhead entered production in December 2003 and the first unit was delivered to the US Army in May 2005. It TADS FLIR imagery switches between Medium, Narrow, & Zoom fields of view which can easily identify any target with if's showing the white glow of an object recently fired; no white glow means weapon not fired.

The pilot and the gunner both use night vision sensors for night operations. The night vision sensors work on the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which detects the infrared light released by heated objects. (See How Night Vision Works for more information.)

The pilot's night vision sensor is attached to a rotating turret on top of the Apache's nose. The gunner's night vision sensor is attached to a separate turret on the underside of the nose. The lower turret also supports a normal video camera and a telescope, which the gunner uses during the day.

The computer transmits the night vision or video picture to a small display unit in each pilot's helmet. The video display projects the image onto a monocular lens in front of the pilot's right eye. Infrared sensors in the cockpit track how the pilot positions the helmet and relay this information to the turret control system. Each pilot can aim the sensors by simply moving his or her head! Manual controls are also available, of course. (See this U.S. Army Apache page for more information on the helmet targeting system.)

The AH-64D is armed with the Lockheed Martin / Boeing AGM-114D Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missile which has a millimetre wave seeker which allows the missile to perform in full fire and forget mode. Range is 8km to 12km.

Countermeasures

The Apache is equipped with an electronic warfare suite consisting of: AN/APR-39A(V) radar warning receiver from Northrop Grumman (formerly Litton) and Lockheed Martin; Lockheed Martin AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometer Electronic Support target acquisition system; AN/ALQ-144 infra-red countermeasures set from BAE Systems IEWS (formerly Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company); AN/AVR-2 laser warning receiver from Goodrich (formerly Hughes Danbury Optical Systems then Raytheon); AN/ALQ-136(V) radar jammer developed by ITT; and chaff dispensers.

M142 INTEGRATED HELMET AND DISPLAY SIGHT SYSTEM (IHADSS)

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M142 Integrated Helmet and Display Sight System (IHADSS)

Integrated Helmet System

Helmet Display System

Head Tracking System

IHADSS line drawings

Note: A blue arrow indicates a line drawing that can be viewed and downloaded.

IHADSS Helmet

IHADSS

The Honeywell M142 IHADSS is one of the World's leading integrated helmet systems. It is used on the U.S. Army AH-64A Apache, the AH-64D Apache Longbow, and the Italian Agusta A-129. The IHADSS has a 40° by 30° field of view in a monocular video-with-symbology viewing system. The helmet display enables NOE night navigation, or under adverse weather conditions, while the electro-optic head tracking system controls the movement of sensors and weapons.