PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTONDC
Competition is intensifying between aircraft survivability equipment (ASE) suppliers to secure an order to equip the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, with ITT hoping the US Army will recommit to fitting the ALQ-211(V)1 Suite of Integrated Radio-Frequency Countermeasures (SIRFC) to the attack helicopter. Looking on are a number of international Apache operators which are being pursued by ITTand rival BAE Systems.
Kuwait last month confirmed its selection of the Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids Systems (HIDAS), the first export success for BAE (Flight International, 10-17 September). A number of other international decisions are pending, but with the US Army delaying upgrading the Apache's legacy ASE despite having paid to integrate SIRFC on the AH-64, ITT finds itself at a competitive disadvantage.
The United Arab Emirates looks set to be the next nation to decide, having shortlisted BAE and ITT for a planned Longbow upgrade of its 30 AH-64As. Greece, which is negotiating a follow-on acquisition of 12 AH-64Ds, does not appear to be considering SIRFC, say sources. The Netherlands is requesting price and availability data to equip its 30 Apache Longbows, and Singapore is expected to launch a competition next year to equip its 20 machines.
ITT says SIRFC has the advantage because of its integrated jammer and points to successes elsewhere, such as selection of the ALQ-211(V)5 for Norway's NH Industries NH90 and the (V)6 and V(7) versions for the US Army's special forces Boeing MH-47E Chinooks and Sikorsky MH-60K Black Hawks. The army might reinstate production funding for SIRFC, as well as the BAE Suite of Integrated Infrared Countermeasures (SIIRCM), in a planned Block 3 package of Apache enhancements now being finalised.
HIDAS draws on elements of SIIRCM, including the AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems, and has an option to add the ALQ-212 Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures jammer. Other integrated systems include the Sky Guardian 2000 radar warner and Series 1223 laser warning receiver, plus chaff and flares dispensers. BAE says that, outside the US Army, there is little international requirement for an RF jammer on Apache.
Source: Flight International
