AEROSYSTEMS International (AeI) is to supply the British Army with the ground support system for its McDonnell Douglas Apache WAH-64 attack helicopters in a UK Ministry of Defence contract worth £20 million ($34 million). The contract was awarded in January, but has only just been announced.
AeI, which is jointly owned by BAe SEMA and GKN Westland, will develop the system in three parts: a mission-planning station (MPS), a mission data-preparation station (MDPS), and maintenance-data stations (MDS).
UK company Lynwood will provide the ruggedised personal computers running Windows NT, while core software for the MPS will be developed by SAIC of San Diego, California, allowing satellite imagery to be "draped" over a three-dimensional terrain model. This will enable pilots to assess terrain cover and visibility, and to optimise the mission plan before loading it on to a transfer cartridge for downloading to the aircraft. The MDPS prepares the map data for the MPS.
Source: Flight International