Development
Lockheed Martin signed the original TADS/PNVS production contract on 30 April 1982, and the first TADS/PNVS system was fielded in 1983.
The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin agreed to initiate the incorporation of new technology into the Arrowhead sensor system during July 2001. The heart of the project is a large-format staring mid-wave (MW) forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor which uses the staring mid-wave integrated detector/cooler assembly (IDCA) used in Lockheed Martin's "Sniper" pod.
The upgrade is designed to complement the excellent obscurant penetration of the existing long-wave (LW) sensor with a longer-range, smaller-field-of-view MW sensor providing the Apache aircrew with enhanced electro-optical targeting performance in all conditions. The new MW electro-optical system can identify targets at greater ranges than the long-wave system.
The first Arrowhead production contract was awarded 11 November 2003. Lockheed Martin rolled out the first Arrowhead system to the U.S. Army in May 2005, and completed integration on the first Apache helicopters in June 2005.
Arrowhead extends optical targeting ranges and reliability by a factor of two, while also significantly reducing maintenance costs. Quick-access “remove-and-replace” modules are designed to reduce maintenance and save nearly $1 billion in Army operation and support costs over the 20-year life of the Arrowhead system.
Read more about this topic: Apache Arrowhead
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