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An Apache helicopter at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin won a $54.3 million Army contract to upgrade a day-and-night vision target-acquisition-sensor display in the AH-64 Apache helicopter cockpit to color for the first time, the company said Thursday.
The Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) has long been "the eyes" of the Army's attack helicopter, but pilots will be able to identify targets in infrared and in color at further distances through an additional field of view with a higher resolution with the new upgrades to the displays.
The 35 Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) kits and spares will also include a new laser-pointer marker and a multi-mode laser with eye-safe lasing capability.
Under the contract, Lockheed will furnish M-DSA kits to the Army and to the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Production will take place at Lockheed's Orlando and Ocala, Florida, facilities through March 2019.
"These enhancements enable faster situational understanding for aircrews and more accurate coordination with ground troops," Matt Hoffman, the M-TADS/PNVS director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said. "With the Apache expected to be in service through 2045, we're continuing to invest in sensor upgrades, such as the M-DSA, to ensure aircrews have the capabilities they need to address emerging threats."
Lockheed has delivered more than 1,350 M-TADS/PNVS systems to the Army and other countries.
Email: jjudson@defensenews.com
Twitter: @JenJudson
Lockheed To Upgrade US Army Apache Displays to Color
