Bell Helicopter has teamed with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to develop a version of the Longbow fire control radar for the modernised AH-1Z Cobra, in a move that will put the attack helicopter's sensor suite on a par with that of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow or Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche.
The planned Cobra Longbow Radar System (CLRS) repackages the millimetre-wave radar in to a pod for mounting on either the AH-1Z's wingtip or stores pylon, rather than in a mast-mounted housing as on the AH-64D or RAH-66. The system will be integrated with the helicopter's M-299 missile launcher and Lockheed Martin AGM-114L RF Hellfire anti-tank missile.
Installation of Longbow on the AH-1Z will give the helicopter the capability to use the RF Hellfire fire-and-forget missile without having to rely on a remote sensor.
The CLRS automatically searches for, detects, classifies and prioritises targets, which are then available to the helicopter's electro-optical target sight system (TSS) for Hellfire engagement or for datalinking to other platforms.
The AH-1Z will be equipped with the new third-generation Lockheed Martin Hawkeye TSS, which offers a significant increase in target identification range over the earlier forward-looking infrared imager. The helicopter until now has lacked a fire control radar, which has put it at a competitive disadvantage to the Apache.
The availability of CLRS comes at a critical juncture with the four-blade AH-1Z now competing against the AH-64D for orders in a number of key markets including Australia, Japan and South Korea. It is unclear if either of the AH-1Z's customers - the US Marine Corps or Turkey - will order the CLRS.
Bell in the meantime has teamed with ITT Industries to offer the ALQ-211 Suite of Integrated RF Countermeasures (SIRFC) for sale internationally on the AH-1Z. The system has been integrated into the AH-1Z cockpit demonstrator, which is making its debut at the Paris air show. The USMC is looking at SIRFC as a future enhancement for its Cobras.
Bell has sold three Huey II kits to the New York Police Department to upgrade their fleet of UH-1Hs, marking the first sale of the improvement package to a US operator.Source: Flight International
