US Army preps Apaches for sea-basing

Marina Malenic, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
14 October 2014



The US Army is preparing its Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for combat in a maritime environment as the US continues its 'pivot to Asia', a top army official said on 13 October at the Association of the US Army's annual conference in Washington.

"We'll extend the radar and we will also broaden its bandwidth to pick up littoral small ships and large ships during different sea states," Colonel Jeffrey Hager, the army's Apache programme manager, said during a press briefing.

Col Hager added that the army is doing "nothing particular to the airframe itself. It's all … software-based radar improvements that we're making to the aircraft".

The maritime targeting mode upgrade will be a production Lot 6 "capability insertion" for the AH-64E, the colonel said. In addition to radar changes, the update includes modernising the Apache's unmanned aircraft tactical common datalink assembly (UTA) software, which Apache pilots use to control unmanned aircraft such as the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

Further, the Apache will be given the ability to communicate with other aircraft via Link 16, a digital datalink used by fixed-wing aircraft. "This does give the crew members the ability to see joint assets, so everybody can see the same combined aerial picture that we have in the Air Force and Navy," said Col Hager.

The Army plans to test the improvements in 2017, he said.

COMMENT

Sea-basing army assets may pose challenges beyond simply making sure the land service's equipment is effective in a maritime environment. For example, the US Marine Corps (USMC) has already expressed consternation over its amphibious ship numbers in the Pacific. Top USMC leaders have welcomed the army's assets to the region but have raised concerns about shipboard training space.

Earlier this year, USMC Lieutenant General John Wissler, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and commander of Marine Forces Japan, said the Marines want two full-time amphibious ready groups or six amphibious ships afloat in the Pacific at all times. In order to do that, about 24 ships are needed so that vessels can go through routine maintenance. The US Navy has 32 amphibious ships in its entire inventory.

In addition to readiness, the general said, another challenge associated with a smaller-than-desired fleet size is accommodating the army's growing presence in the region. "There aren't enough amphibious ships for us to train to our mission right now," he said at the time. "So how you jam a bunch of other guys on that platform is going to be [a difficulty]".

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