The U.S. Marine Corps is fighting the proposal to truncate or slow down production

of the UH-1N, above, and the AH-1W. (Marine Corps)

15 Nov 2011By DAVE MAJUMDAR DefenseNews

As the U.S. defense budget begins to fall, the U.S. Marine Corps is struggling to balance its aviation portfolio in internal budget deliberations, one senior defense official said. Two programs that might suffer are the Marines' UH-1Y utility and AH-1Z attack helicopters.

"The UH-1Y and AH-1Z programs are exceedingly successful," one senior defense official said. But "the [Department of the Navy] is looking to make them bill payers once again to help pay for [F-35B Joint Strike Fighter] overrun costs."

The Marines are fighting the proposal to truncate or slow down production of the two helicopters. The Marines' current fleet of the UH-1N and AH-1W helicopters, which were old before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are worn out from a decade of nearly continuous combat.

"They absolutely need to be replaced," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. George Trautman, who served as the service's deputy commandant for aviation. "The Marine Corps is not getting out of the attack helicopter business."

"It will be significantly important that we fund the entire program," the senior defense official said. "We do not get completely out for the AH-1W business as it stands now until fiscal year 19."

Trautman said that developing the Marines' aviation budget is a balancing act.

"You just have to balance your portfolio and over time you have to figure out how to manage the money that's available to get the Marine Corps what they believe they must have," he said. Trautman said that if the UH-1Y and AH-1Z program are cut, "it'll only be some trimming at the margins I'd suspect."

The Marines have the most ambitious aviation modernization plan of any of the U.S. services, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at the Teal Group, Fairfax, Va.

"There is a real danger here that the DoD starts viewing that pot of cash as a complete entity and forcing the Marines to make tough decisions," he said. "It's been a long time since they've had to make tough decisions."

The cost overruns for the F-35B are too large to be taken from any single program; instead the more likely scenario is one where the JSF program has to absorb most its own costs within the program, Trautman said.

"That's not good for the Marine Corps either," Trautman said. "That could potentially mean a slip in delivery rates."

But the Marines must have 420 F-35s, Trautman said. "There is no give there," he said. "The pace they reach 420 is the only thing in question."

Overall, the Marines' aviation portfolio is in great shape, Trautman said.

"The Marine Corps is in a very positive situation right now, but it's in some ways a challenging situation," he said.

The Marines' aviation plan was always risky, Aboulafia said, and depended in many respects on the service's allies in Congress because most of its hardware is specific to the Marines. But the nation's tough financial situation could put the Marines in a tricky situation, he said.

"They were always dependent upon the pro-Marine lobby in Congress, but in a budget environment like this, there is a lot of risk," Aboulafia said.

All of the Marines' aviation programs are very healthy at the moment, Trautman said. The MV-22 program is doing very well three years into a five-year buy, therefore it is difficult to pull money from that program, he said.

The UH-1Y and AH-1Z is also doing well.

"But they're not in a multiyear, so that's one place where you can go to get a little bit of money, Trautman said.

Given the Marine's absolute need for an attack helicopter, the service's best option might be to delay the UH-1Y and try to stretch out whatever life remains in the UH-1N, Aboulafia said.

"This is yet another conflict between transformation and current capabilities," he said.

The Marines' CH-53K is another program where money can be shuffled from if there are more urgent priorities, but those are research and development funds, which doesn't necessarily translate into procurement dollars, Trautman said.

The Marines need all of the aircraft that it is developing or currently procuring, Trautman said. The service desperately needs the F-35B, UH-1Y, AH-1Z, MV-22 and CH-53K, he said.

"There is not a lot of flexibility in the Marine Corps aviation portfolio because a lot of money is tied up in platforms," Trautman said. "They are 100 percent committed to these platforms," he said.

15 Nov 2011 By KATE BRANNEN DefenseNews

The Senate Armed Services Committee has revised its version of the defense authorization bill for 2012, cutting an additional $21 billion to meet spending caps mandated by this summer's Budget Control Act.

On Nov. 15, the committee unanimously passed the new bill, which cuts a total of $27 billion and freezes defense spending at 2011 levels. It will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

In June, the Senate panel passed a version of the bill that cut $6 billion from the Defense Department's budget.

In August, Congress passed and the president signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, which placed new caps on discretionary spending for 2012.

The funding authorized in the committee's original bill did not fit within these new targets.

In September, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a defense spending bill that also met the spending caps required by the Budget Control Act. To meet the targets, the Senate appropriations committee trimmed 580 programs in the Pentagon's base budget.

Meanwhile, the House passed its defense spending and authorization bills months before the Budget Control Act was signed into law. Neither of those bills meet the new spending limits required by the debt ceiling agreement.

The revised Senate authorization bill also includes new language on detainees, an issue that has been holding up debate of the bill for months.

It addresses some of the White House's concerns over laws that would regulate who can detain and interrogate terrorists.

"Under the modified provision, the Executive Branch has the flexibility to keep a covered detainee in civilian custody pursuant to a national security determination, or to transfer a military detainee for trial in the civilian courts," a statement by the committee said. "The Administration agreed to have military custody apply to al Qaeda members captured outside the United States (subject to a national security waiver) but disagrees with the committee decision not to preclude the application of the provision inside the United States."

Le premier JHSV, mis à flot le 17 septembre

crédits : AUSTAL

16/11/2011 MER et MARINE

Le chantier Austal de Mobile (Alabama) a procédé, le 8 novembre, à la mise sur cale du futur Choctaw County, second Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) destiné à la marine américaine. Ce bâtiment de transport rapide est un sistership du futur Spearhead, tête de série du programme, mis à flot le 17 septembre dernier. Entre les deux navires, Austal a optimisé son processus de fabrication, annonçant un gain de 30% entre le Spearhead et le Choctaw County, dont l'ensemble des blocs (40) sont réalisés, le navire en étant déjà à 50% d'achèvement. Longs de 103 mètres, les JHSV sont ces catamarans en aluminium conçus pour le transport rapide de troupes, de véhicules et de matériel. Capables d'atteindre la vitesse de 43 noeuds, ils doivent pouvoir transporter 600 tonnes de matériel et héberger 146 personnes en cabines, avec également la possibilité de d'accueillir 312 autres passagers sur des sièges. Dotés d'une plateforme pour un hélicoptère lourd, ils comptent aussi, sur l'arrière, une rampe permettant de débarquer le fret et les véhicules transportés.

Austal a remporté le contrat JHSV en 2008, avec la commande ferme du prototype et 9 unités supplémentaires en option sur les lois de finance 2009 à 2013. Pour l'heure, 6 de ces options ont été confirmées.

JHSV (© : AUSTAL)

Nov 15, 2011 ASDNews By Ms Audra Calloway (AMC)- Source : US Army

Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. - The Program Executive Office for Ammunition has started testing a new artillery round that will provide Soldier's with superior performance as well as lighten the military logistics burden.

The 105mm M1130E1 High Explosive Pre-Formed Fragments, Base Bleed (HE PFF BB) round with the XM350 propelling charge, is a state-of-the-art cartridge that replaces four existing High Explosive (HE) projectiles and two propelling charges with a single round.

The M1130E1 is fired from the M119 howitzer and will be used against light to medium targets, such as personnel and trucks.

It provides increased combat effectiveness for all 105mm Howitzer units, but will specifically aid the mission of the light forces operating in rugged terrain, such as Afghanistan.

A 105mm cartridge consists of a projectile, cartridge case, primer and propelling charge.

Currently, four different 105mm cartridges (the M1, M760, M927 and M1130), each containing one of two propelling charges (M67 and M200), are needed to engage the various targets at distances from 1.4 kilometers out to 16 kilometers, explained Jim Rutkowski, Chief of the Energetics Branch with PEO Ammunition's Project Manager for Combat Ammunition Systems (PM CAS).

Currently, all four rounds must be available at the firing position. For instance, the M760 cannot cover the closer ranges that the M1 covers.

"Until we field sufficient quantities of M1130A1 the logistic chain and our troops will deal with the four cartridges--M1, M760, M927 and M1130," Rutkowski added.

"After that, the logistic chain and the Soldier will only have to deal with one high explosive cartridge, the M1130A1."

By eliminating the need to have adequate supplies of four different artillery rounds on hand, Rutkowski said expectations are that the M1130E1 with the XM350 charge will reduce the logistics burden by 50 to 75 percent.

HOW IT WORKS

The M1130E1 combines the M1130 projectile with the XM350 propelling so that one projectile and propelling charge can cover all these ranges, plus additional range of out to 17 kilometers.

The XM350 propelling charge is designed by the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, and St. Marks Powder, a General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems company at St. Marks Fla.

It takes advantage of the state-of-the-art St. Marks Powder's high performance, low flame temperature "hybrid" propellant, which allows it to cover the minimum to maximum range requirements of both the M67 and the M200 propelling charges with a single, zoned, propelling charge.

In addition to significantly reducing the logistics burden of troops, the M1130 projectile also uses a reliable base bleed with a more aerodynamic shape to achieve similar ranges without sacrificing down-range performance.

The M1130 cartridge has shown a two to four times improved capability over the M1 HE round against select targets because the warhead has better fragmentation distribution.

The M1130E1 began testing at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., this summer.

When corrected to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standard conditions (59oF, 14.7 psi, no wind), the M1130E1 cartridge demonstrated an average range of 17.8 km at top zone.

The Army is currently scheduled to "materiel release" the M1130 with the M67 propelling charge in early 2012 with integration of the M1130E1 with the XM350 propelling charge to follow.

A material release means that the item is safe for Soldiers to use; is suitable; has been fully tested to meet operational performance requirements; and can be supported logistically in the environment in which it is intended for use.

Upon completion of the M1130E1 qualification, the round will be fielded as the M1130A1 cartridge with the M350 propelling charge.

PM CAS has life-cycle responsibility for all 105mm ammunition.

The XM350 propelling charge development is being performed by ARDEC.

ARDEC also handles the integration of the cartridge case, primer, propelling charge and projectile into the M1130E1 cartridge.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems is the prime contractor for the projectile.

photo US Army

November 15, 2011: STRATEGY PAGE

After sixty years, the UH-1 (Huey) helicopter is getting completely replaced. It's taken several types of helicopters to do it. First there was the larger UH-60 in the 1980s. But now the U.S. Army is buying UH-72A Light Utility Helicopters. The twin engine UH-72A ("Lakota"), previously called the UH-145, costs about $9 million each, although the cost can be higher depending on the accessories. For example, UH-72As were recently equipped with a Security & Support Mission Equipment Package so they could operate with Security & Support Aviation battalions. These units are part of the U.S. Army National Guard and are for, as their name implies, security and support missions. In the United States, these are in support of police or emergency functions. Overseas, they would be used for peacekeeping operations.

The S&S Mission Equipment Package (MEP) added an infrared night video camera with an eight kilometer (5 mile) range. This system can take still photos or streaming video, which can be transmitted to ground units. The video can also be captured and stored on the aircraft. The MEP also contains longer range radios, the ability to communicate on many police frequencies. The MEP also installs touch-screen monitors, GPS software that can provide street addresses and a high intensity (30 million candle power) search light.

The U.S. Army is buying 345 UH-72A helicopters, from European firm EADS. Nearly 200 have already been delivered. The UH-72A is a militarized version of the EC145, a helicopter very popular with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. The UH-72A purchase is a side effect of the cancellation of the Comanche helicopter seven years ago. Comanche was perceived as too expensive and complex. The UH-72A will mainly replace the few remaining UH-1 helicopters, which are being retired because of old age.

The UH-72A has about the same capacity as the UH-1, despite its smaller size. The 3.6 ton UH-72A has a top speed of 260 kilometers an hour and a max range of 660 kilometers. Average endurance per sortie is about two hours. The helicopter has a crew of two, and can carry up to eight passengers, or about three-quarters of a ton of cargo or weapons. The EC145 was introduced eight years ago, and has been very popular with its users. Meanwhile, many elderly UH-1s continue to serve all over the world.

14 novembre 2011 par Nicolas Gros-Verheyde (BRUXELLES2)

Les ambassadeurs américains ont reçu une notice d’information visant à encourager l’utilisation de gardes privés armés sur les navires marchands qui croisent au large des côtes de la Somalie. Une notice signée par Hillary Clinton, ce qui témoigne d’un revirement de la Secrétaire d’Etat US, ainsi que le note justement Somalia Report qui révèle l’information.

Les ambassadeurs sont ainsi priés de « démarcher les gouvernements et/ou les membres de l’industrie maritime dans leur pays afin de les encourager à utiliser des Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP) », en clair des contractors privés. Si plusieurs pays ont autorisé l’utilisation de gardes privés sur les navires marchands battant leur pavillon, cette simple autorisation ne suffit en effet pas à faciliter cette utilisation. Il faut encore que les pays de transit ou portuaire autorisent le port d’armes sur ces navires. Ce qui n’est pas le cas partout. Ainsi l’Egypte – qui contrôle le canal de Suez – interdit la présence d’armes ou de gardes armés. D’autres restreignent l’usage de ces armes dans leur port. Enfin plusieurs pays – comme l’Erythrée ou la Somalie – font l’objet d’un embargo international sur les armes.

Une version confirmée officiellement par Andrew J. Shapiro, le secrétaire adjoint du Bureau des affaires politico-militaires, lors d’une séance à laquelle assistaient plusieurs diplomates de pays européens (britannique, néerlandais et suédois notamment) qui s’est tenue au Secrétariat d’Etat, le 9 novembre. La raison de ce changement est simple, selon lui : « il est difficile aux forces navales internationales dans la région de protéger chaque navire marchand; Et jusqu’à présent, aucun navire avec une équipe de sécurité armée n’a été piratée. » Shapiro estime ainsi que le relatif déclin du nombre de captures de bateaux tient à « l’utilisation croissante d’équipes de sécurité armée ».

14 November 2011 - by Andrew White in Washington, DC

The US Department of Defense (DoD) requires an Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) strategy in order to best take advantage of EW operations, a senior official stated on 14 November.

Addressing the AOC conference on 14 November, USAF Maj Gen Jay Santee, principal director at the office of the deputy assistant for secretary of defense, described current DoD efforts to implement such a strategy.

Santee warned that although moves to improve waveform technologies, for example, were impressive, the development of such a strategy was not just technologically driven.

'The DoD needs an ESM strategy to lay out what the ends are and what the [operating] ways should be. There is a place for all of us to implement those means to better and more efficiently use that [EMS] spectrum,' Santee said.

Describing the EMS as a 'finite' resource, Santee also warned that EW capabilities must not be limited to battlefields in distant lands but also to homeland operations.

Meanwhile, when asked to define the contemporary EMS 'warrior', Santee outlined the importance of the Electronic Order of Battle, adding that a lot of aircrews owed their lives to such intelligence professionals.

'If you can't count on the voracity of the information coming in and know that nobody else is listening in, you're going to have a very difficult time on the battlefield,' Santee continued.

source Ares - aviationweek.com

November 14, 2011: STRATEGY PAGE

The U.S. Army is developing a tablet computer for battlefield use. Because the iPad is too large to be used on the battlefield, a smaller (18cm/7 inch versus 26cm/10.1 inch) Android model is the favorite. The current plan is to add several layers of security (require fingerprint or face/voice recognition) to the existing password requirement. Battlefield tablets and cell phones also need hardware and/or software to handle the additional wireless security required. This is not a big problem, but developing and testing a system that works well enough to be useful in combat takes time.

Another problem is that troops are often wearing gloves on the battlefield. But in many cases fingerless gloves get the job done, and allow touch sensitive tablets to be used. Field tests have already found that the devices (tablets and cell phones) are quite rugged, especially if covered by the inexpensive (under $10) protective "skins" you can buy anywhere. The troops are big users of tablets, and often create job-specific software for them.

14.11.2011 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

Lost in translation! Comme l'écrivait Mathieu Guidère, en 2008, "dans toute guerre, il y a une erreur originelle. L'erreur américaine en Irak a été de croire que l'on pouvait démocratiser un pays sans même connaître sa langue". Pour remédier à ces carences, une des solutions, c'est d'externaliser la traduction, l'interprétariat... Illustration.

L'US Army Intelligence & Security Command (INSCOM) vient d'ajouter (le 10 novembre) 8 sociétés spécialisées dans la traduction et l'interprétariat à la liste des 6 entreprises retenues en juillet dernier pour le contrat DLITE (Defense Language Interpretation Translation Entreprise) dont la valeur est estimée à 9,7 milliards de dollars et qui court jusqu'au 26 août 2016. La valeur de ce contrat avait initiallement été estimée à quelque 15 milliards de dollars.

En juillet, l'INSCOM avait annoncé qu'il avait retenu Global Linguist Solutions (une joint venture entre DynCorp et AECOM), Mission Essential Personnel, Northrop Grumman Technical Services, L3C Services, Linc Government Services (ABM Industries) et Caci Premier Technology.

Le 10 novembre, 8 autres entreprises ont été ajoutés: CWU Inc., Buffalo Group, Global Executive Management, MultiLingual Solution, Strategic Intelligence Group, Strategic Solutions Unlimited, Szanca Solutions et Valbin Corp. 

Le contrat DLITE fait suite à deux autres méga-contrats de services linguistiques. Le premier, le Worldwide Linguist Support Services, avait été attribué en 1999 à BTG (acheté en 2001 par Titan, lui-même acheté par L3C en 2005); d'une durée de 5 ans, il avait une valeur de 4,5 milliards de dollars. En 2005, c'est Global Linguist Solutions qui avait décroché le Translation and Interpretation Management Services Contract. Valeur de ce TIMS: 4,65 milliards. Mais L3C avait déposé plainte et l'affaire ne s'était résolue qu'en 2008, après un arrangement entre les deux sociétés. Au final, la prestation de Global Linguist Solutions avait été jugée insuffisante: seulement 80% du personnel requis avait été déployé (GLS avait prétexté des problèmes pour trouver du personnel qualifié) et des cas de surfacturation avaient été notés. D'où le choix de recourir à 14 sous-traitants pour le DLITE.

Par ailleurs, il s'agit d'une task order ("a $9,700,000,000 fixed-price and cost-reimbursable-task-order contract", dit l'annonce du Pentagone), c'est-à-dire que les fonds sont disponibles en cas de besoins, l'armée américaine se créant ainsi une "cagnotte" (puisqu'avec le retrait d'Irak et celui, planifié, d'Afghanistan, les besoins prévisibles ne seront pas aussi importants que pendant la période 2000-2010).

14.11.2011 par Martine Jacot LEMONDE (Article paru dans l'édition du 13.11.11)

La coupe est pleine. Tel est en quelque sorte le message que les autorités américaines ont adressé à la Chine et à la Russie en publiant, jeudi 3 novembre, un rapport sur le cyber-espionnage mené aux dépens des Etats-Unis dont le ton est inhabituellement accusateur. Depuis 2009, "les réseaux informatiques d'un vaste éventail d'administrations publiques, d'entreprises privées, d'universités ou d'autres institutions, toutes détentrices d'un gros volume d'informations économiques sensibles, ont été victimes d'espionnage", indique le rapport remis au Congrès par l'Office national du contre-espionnage. "Une grande partie de ces activités semblent provenir de Chine", poursuit le document, qui désigne aussi la Russie, dans une moindre mesure.

Parmi les incidents mentionnés à titre d'exemple figure le piratage dont ont été victimes, en 2010, les messageries de responsables américains, de dissidents chinois, de responsables militaires et de journalistes sur leurs comptes Gmail. Google avait estimé que les auteurs de ces intrusions avaient des liens directs avec le gouvernement chinois. En août, rappelle le rapport, la société américaine de sécurité informatique McAfee avait dénoncé des intrusions massives menées contre des entreprises travaillant pour l'armée américaine, des ONG et des usines, en provenance d'un seul et même pays, qui n'avait pas été nommé.

La Chine et la Russie "continueront sans doute à déployer des ressources importantes et toute une panoplie de tactiques pour obtenir des informations de sources américaines, dans le but de parvenir à une parité économique, stratégique et militaire avec les Etats-Unis", anticipe le rapport. Régulièrement accusée d'être impliquée dans des cyberattaques, la Chine récuse ces allégations dès qu'elles sont formulées. La publication du rapport n'a pas fait exception : le ministère chinois des affaires étrangères a estimé que "préjuger sans enquête de l'origine de cyber-attaques n'est ni professionnel ni responsable". -Moscou a préféré le silence.

Pourquoi les autorités américaines ont-elles mis la Chine et la Russie sur la sellette, alors qu'elles avaient jusqu'alors évité les accusations directes ? Doit-on y voir un aveu de leur impuissance à faire cesser cet espionnage par des voies diplomatiques ou à le contrer par la technologie ? Robert Bryant, directeur de l'Office national du contre-espionnage, a fait valoir la "flambée" récente des cyberattaques et la nécessité de trouver des solutions, passant notamment par une meilleure collaboration entre secteurs privé et public. Des sociétés victimes d'attaques sur leurs données secrètes préfèrent les taire, relève le rapport.

Le document souligne aussi la nécessité pour les alliés des Etats-Unis de faire pression sur la Chine afin qu'elle mette fin à son cyberespionnage. Selon le Financial Times, une centaine de spécialistes américains et européens ont conduit, ce même 3 novembre, leur premier exercice de cybersécurité à Bruxelles, afin de mieux repérer les faiblesses de la protection de leurs données sensibles et de communiquer plus rapidement entre eux en cas d'attaque.

L'US Navy prévoit de commander 117 P-8A Poseidon

crédits : BOEING

14/11/2011 MER et MARINE

Boeing a signé avec la marine américaine une seconde tranche de commande pour son nouvel avion de patrouille maritime P-8A Poseidon. S'ajoutant à un premier contrat (LRIP-I) conclu en janvier pour les 6 premiers appareils de série, cette seconde tranche (LRIP-II) porte sur 7 avions supplémentaires. Elle comprend également des prestations sur la formation des équipages et sur la maintenance, prévues pour débuter en 2012.
Après la réalisation de 8 prototypes, dont 6 pour les essais en vol, le premier P-8A de série, assemblé à l'usine Boeing de Renton (Washington), a réalisé son vol inaugural le 7 juillet. L'appareil reçoit depuis, à Seattle, différents équipements, dont son système de mission, alors que les essais se poursuivent sur les prototypes. Ainsi, les T1, T2, T3 et T5 continuent les tests en vol depuis la base aéronavale de Patuxent River. Quant aux avions destinés aux essais au sol, le S1, appareil dédié aux tests statiques, a terminé son programme en janvier, et le S2, réalisé pour mener les essais de fatigue, commencera à être mis à l'épreuve en 2012.


L'usine d'assemblage de Renton (© : BOEING)

Première capacité opérationnelle en 2013

Boeing prévoit de pouvoir offrir la capacité opérationnelle initiale du P-8A en 2013, année durant laquelle le Poseidon devrait entrer en service au sein de l'US Navy. Pour mémoire, celle-ci compte se doter de 117 P-8A afin de remplacer sa flotte de P-3C Orion. Développé à partir du biréacteur commercial Boeing 737, le nouvel avion de patrouille maritime américain pourra assurer des missions de lutte antinavire et anti-sous-marine, ainsi que la surveillance et le contrôle de grands espaces maritimes. Comprenant un équipage de 9 hommes, l'avion mettra en oeuvre des missiles Harpoon et SLAM-ER, ainsi que des torpilles Mk50 et Mk54.
En dehors de la marine américaine, le Poseidon est également proposé à l'export. Une première commande de 8 avions (+ 4 en option) a été signée en 2009 avec l'Inde, la tête de série du programme P-8I ayant réalisé son premier vol le 28 septembre dernier.


Le premier P-8I indien (© : BOEING)

photo by David Monniaux

November 12, 2011: STRATEGY PAGE

The U.S. Army has received the first of 51 "low rate initial production" Block III models of the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship. This is the newest version of the AH-64, and had its first flight three years ago. The U.S. Army will be upgrading all of its 634 AH-64s to the new Block III standard, a process that won't be completed until 2020. The first Block IIIs are entering service now, and will be heavily used to reveal any design or manufacturing flaws. These will be fixed before mass production and conversion begins.

Block III has a lot of improvements. One of the notable ones is a more powerful and fuel efficient engine, as well as much improved electronics. Block III will also have Internet like capabilities with other aircraft and ground troops. Block III will be able to control several UAVs, and launch missiles at targets spotted by its UAVs. The Block III radar will have longer range and onboard computers will be much more powerful. The electronics will be easier to upgrade and maintain. The combination of improved fire control and Internet capabilities is expected to greatly increase the capabilities of the AH-64.

The 7.5 ton AH-64D carries a pilot and a weapons officer, as well as up to 16 Hellfire missiles (plus the 30mm automatic cannon). Sorties average three hours. The AH-64 can operate at night and has a top speed of 260 kilometers an hour.

In addition to the U.S. Army, the Block III is also being bought by the UAE (United Arab Emirates) which is buying 60. Neighboring Saudi Arabia recently ordered 70 of the same model, as well as upgrades for its existing twelve AH-64s, to the Block III standard. Many other of the existing 1,100 AH-64s may be upgraded as well.