Lockheed Martin hired to upgrade Apache helicopter sensor technology

Defense and aviation contractor Lockheed Martin said this week that it has won a $54.3 million contract to upgrade Apache attack helicopter cockpits with the latest target acquisition and night-vision technology.

The company will retool the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensors (M-TADS/PNVS) on AH-64E Apache helicopters, which will give Apache pilots several new abilities, including an extended-range picture-in-picture display that will help pilots better see and designate targets from longer distances. Another major upgrade will be the addition of color displays in the cockpit for the first time.

"These enhancements enable faster situational understanding for air crews and more accurate coordination with ground troops," Matt Hoffman, director of Lockheed Martin’s M-TADS/PNVS program, said. "With the Apache expected to be in service through 2045, we're continuing to invest in sensor upgrades... to ensure air crews have the capabilities they need to address emerging threats."

The contract specifies that Lockheed Martin is to manufacture 35 kits, plus spares, to upgrade the choppers. The upgrades will be installed in both U.S. and Qatari forces' Apaches.

Work on the contract is set to be completed by March 2019, with production ongoing at Lockheed Martin's plants in Orlando and Ocala, Florida.