 |
 |
 |
Army chopper enters new era
Publication: The Arizona Republic; Date: July 14, 2008
by Max Jarman
An unmanned aircraft sails through the night sky, watching enemy soldiers plant roadside bombs ahead of an approaching convoy of American troops.
The craft fires a missile at insurgents, sparing what would have been certain U.S. casualties.
The pilot in control of the craft is safely 50 miles away, aboard an Apache helicopter.
By 2011, crews will be able to do just that from the next generation of the aircraft.
Remote-control piloting is one of the features of the new Apache, which was unveiled last week in Mesa.
Boeing Co.'s Mesa factory will begin making 634 of the ultra-high-tech aircraft in 2010.
The Army's order means a contract for up to $19 billion. It also means secure employment for the plant's 4,500 workers. It will pump billions of dollars into the Arizona economy. It will mean greater protection for U.S. troops fighting in the Middle East, where the Apache has proven itself as a vital weapon. And it will open a new chapter in a storied piece of the U.S. military arsenal.
To quote the common mantra from the battlefield: "When the Apaches are flying, soldiers aren't dying."
A lethal weapon
The Apache, first built to chase Soviet tanks out of Eastern Europe, has evolved into a fearsome military juggernaut credited with saving the lives of countless U.S. soldiers.
It was developed by Hughes Helicopter Co., which selected Mesa as the production site because the open terrain lent itself to test flights.
The first aircraft came off the assembly line in 1983 and saw combat in 1989 during the invasion of Panama. There, the helicopters outgrew their intended purpose as "tank killers" and proved to be invaluable support for ground troops.
The agile and lethal Apaches swoop in with firepower to support troops on the ground or to rescue soldiers in harm's way.
The resourcefulness of the Apaches was further proved during Operation Desert Storm, where they were ideally suited to the rugged terrain and close-quarters combat. The same settings are the hallmarks of today's wars in the region.
"In Afghanistan and Iraq, the Apache is one of the Army's key weapons," said Wayne Plucker, a defense industry analyst with market research firm Frost & Sullivan.
The next generation of Apaches, known as "Block III," is not due until 2011. Gen. Richard Cody, a certified Apache pilot and the U.S. Army's vice chief of staff, said he believes they will see plenty of action in the Middle East.
"We're in for a very long war," he said, noting that it could go on for "decades."
Even if the Army draws down the number of troops in the area, the Apaches will be "the last thing that comes off the battlefield," Cody said. "It's a premier fighter that our soldiers depend on."
A better version
As good as the existing aircraft is, the new Apache is substantially better.
The new aircraft includes 25 major improvements.
Composite rotor blades make it even more agile and able to maneuver in the thin air of high-altitude Afghanistan.
The $30 million aircraft will contain some reused parts from existing Apaches to reduce costs but will have a new airframe, or body, a more powerful engine and a redesigned transmission.
Better sensors and computers will allow pilots to view, at close range, terrain miles ahead and send streaming videos to other aircraft and command posts on the ground.
Sensors will monitor the health of the aircraft and alert the pilot when something needs attention.
The cockpit will have controls for an unmanned aerial vehicle that can fly ahead of the Apache, relaying back video of combat conditions 50 miles ahead. The UAV will carry missiles, which can be fired by the Apache's gunner.
The aircraft will link to the Army's network, letting voice, data and video communications move freely among the Apache, ground forces, other aircraft and combat command centers. The software also can be constantly upgraded and modified as technology and conditions change.
"If we had Block III now in Iraq and Afghanistan, it wouldn't be a fair fight," Cody said.
The massive Apache contract was made possible by the Army's cancellation in 2004 of the $14 billion Comanche reconnaissance/attack helicopter program in favor of upgrading its existing fleet.
Cody was instrumental in making the decision to scrap the Comanche after $6.9 billion was spent to develop it.
He said the cost had gotten out of control and that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan created an immediate need to upgrade existing helicopters instead of waiting for a handful of new ones.
Cody added that most of the technological advances that were to have been on board the Comanche have been incorporated in the new Apache.
An economic boost
Defense contactors such as Boeing are becoming an increasingly important component of the Arizona economy.
"It's recession-proof," said Deb Sydenham, assistant deputy director of community development at the Arizona Department of Commerce. She noted that the defense industry is growing in Arizona while other segments such as real estate and construction have slowed dramatically.
"Defense companies continue to add high-paying jobs while some other areas are laying people off," she said.
The new Apache means jobs in Mesa until at least 2024, when the last of the 634 helicopters is delivered and likely until 2045, when the Apaches are to be phased out.
A Department of Commerce study due out later this month on the economic impact of the military in Arizona shows that the annual value of local defense work grew from $5.7 billion in 2002 to about $9.6 billion in 2007.
Major military contracts such as the Apache also are increasingly important to Boeing. As concerns mount that its commercial business could be hurt by financial troubles at its airline customers, the defense business promises to provide stability.
Boeing's share price has tumbled 23 percent in the past two months due to concerns the company and its European competitor Airbus could be hit with order cancellations by cash-strapped airlines.
Some already have canceled or postponed new aircraft purchases. On Thursday, for example, Frontier Airlines delayed the purchase of seven Airbus planes, valued at $400 million, for two years.
"Military is a full 50 percent of their business," said industry analyst Plucker. "It may have to pick up the load for commercial for a while."
| | |