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Future of Army aviation is topic of symposium

Army and industry leaders talked about plans for an Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter replacement, improvements to the Apache attack helicopter and Army-Air Force talks for the Joint Future Theater Lift project at the Association of the United States Army Aviation Symposium Jan. 7-9 in Arlington, Va.

“A theme of this symposium is the relationship of Army Aviation to the ground guys. There is great synergy between the two,” said retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, AUSA president.

Progress with the next generation Chinook and Apache helicopter programs was a focus of discussion by Brig. Gen. Walter Davis, who directs Army aviation efforts.

“The F-model Chinook, as well as the Apache Block II and Block III, are on track and on schedule,” Davis said. “The whole conference has been good with regard to the synergy between combat brigade commanders who have just returned and other Army personnel. There has been a continuity in the themes and messages regarding what we think is important in the Army, such as how gratified we are with the support from Congress and what we have planned for the future.”

ARH replacement effort

The U.S. Army has asked industry to help develop and build a new aircraft designed to replace the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, which was canceled last year, service officials said.

“The Army product manager sent out a sources-sought document which said [to industry], ‘Tell us what you can do with these kinds of requirements.’ We talked to them [industry] in December, and they are getting back to us next week,” said Col. Grady King, the capability manager for reconnaissance and attack at the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command.

Requirements for the helicopter are still under development, but they will be similar to the ones sought for the ARH.

“The requirements are now with the Department of the Army and we will see where it goes from there,” King said. “We will take them to the Joint Staff as well, possibly the JROC [Joint Requirements Oversight Council]. Everyone is looking at it and adding input.”

Apaches to get UAV control

Apache Block III attack helicopters, slated for limited user testing in November, will have advanced networking, more ability to control UAVs, and power and maneuverability upgrades.

Currently, pilots can use Video UAS Interoperability Teaming to view imagery streaming from a nearby UAV. The Block III gear will allow pilots to control the sensors and routing of the UAV as well.

“That will be truly the next-generation technology,” said Army Col. Shane Openshaw, Apache program manager.

The Army also is looking to install better lightweight armor composites onto the Block III Apache during the reset process.

“We’re looking at improved external ballistic protection and taking the latest technology and installing it during the remanufacturing process,” Openshaw said. “We are assessing the technology to see what gives you the best bang for the buck. We’re adding an improved drive system so you will have more margin in flight environments — the same Apache with more power.”

The Block III version, which will have a 701D engine, will be built with new composite rotor blades and better digital electronics.

“Integration and interoperability of the future force will be a fundamental tenet of the Block III,” Openshaw said. “The composite rotor blades will assist in performance enhancement for the aircraft and enable it to fly in high, hot environments.”

Pilot training will emphasize diving and maneuvering toward fast-moving targets.

Apache-maker Boeing is working closely with the Army on Block III development.

“We’re ahead of the production schedule. We have two Block III prototypes flying, and the second one is two months ahead of schedule. We are 53 percent done with development for Block III,” said Brad Rounding, Boeing Apache program manager.

Better helo armor

The Army is looking at putting some lightweight add-on armor panels onto helicopters for greater protection in high-risk areas, service and industry officials said. The armor appliqué kits include lightweight composite materials wrapped in a high-strength Velcro material, able to fasten itself to the inside of military aircraft and vehicles.

“This product was designed as an add-on lightweight ceramic armor solution for vehicles and aircraft,” said Patrick Callahan, business development manager with Last Armor, a division of Foster-Miller, Waltham, Mass., which makes the armor. “The armor is put on with Velcro that has a strength of 35 pounds per square inch. Our spall liner is on every Frag Kit 6 Humvee, thousands of MRAPs [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles], FMTVs [Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles], Armored Security Vehicles and C-130 aircraft.

“We are looking at adding the lightweight panels to rotary-wing aircraft because helicopters can’t take a lot of weight,” Callahan said. “If an IED gets through the armor, the spall liner is designed to take the frag that is coming in and shrink it down to decrease the lethality.”

Last Armor panels also are on C-5, C-141 and C-17 transport planes, as well as on more than 3,000 vehicles, company officials said.

Air Warrior to deploy

The Army is preparing to deploy 20,000 new Air Warrior ensembles to aviation units once approval is given by the Army requirements oversight council this summer, service officials said.

Called Air Soldier System, the ensemble aims to improve upon the technologies used in the 20,000 Air Warrior kits already deployed with Army aviation units. The ensemble includes radios, signaling devices, medical equipment, hard and soft body armor, a life raft and flotation collars along with a kneepad-mounted Blue Force Tracking display.

“It [Air Soldier System] will do all of the functions of Air Warrior plus some new ones,” said Lt. Col. Shannon Womack, Air Warrior product manager. “There is a radio. This platform gives you a tourniquet, iodine, water purification tablets, and a pocket for M16 and 9mm magazines. You also have five minutes of compressed air.”

The Air Soldier System has a small cooler that mounts on the aircraft for lowering the temperature in a helicopter in hot combat areas. The system also includes night-vision goggles, a protective mask for chemical and biological protection, and an electronic data manager showing a moving-map digital display.

“Air Soldier system is part of the soldier-as-a-system model to enhance air crew survivability and endurance in different operational environments,” said Maj. Patrick Badar, program manager for Air Warrior. “One of the key things we are looking to do is reduce weight and bulk of the equipment that is going in a helicopter. This would provide better operations for mission equipment on the airframe, plus the reduced weight would enhance their endurance while they are wearing this equipment.”

Switchblade UAV AeroVironment, Monrovia, Calif., has built early prototypes of a 2-foot-long Switchblade UAV packed with explosives. It can be launched from a tube, autonomously fly a route, and destroy enemy targets, company officials said.

“It will carry on it a video camera to provide streaming live video back to a handheld ground controller,” said Steven Gitlin, AeroVironment’s director of marketing strategy. “In addition to the camera, Switchblade will carry a small explosive charge. In the event that a threat is identified such as a sniper or someone planting a bomb, the operator of the Switchblade can designate the threat and turn the Switchblade into an autonomously guided projectile that will impact the target.”

The Switchblade program is being funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, Gitlin said.

“The UAV operator would designate the target on the handheld ground controller,” Gitlin said. “The operator would have visibility or eyes on target throughout the process, so if at the last minute a group of children were to walk by, you could call this off. This is very high precision and difficult to detect.”

The Switchblade’s folding wings slide underneath the aircraft when it becomes a projectile, said Stephanie Folster, an AeroVironment marketing coordinator.