Army discusses eight-year Apache plan

The Army recently met with industry to lay out its plans for maintaining and updating the Apache attack helicopter until the Future Vertical Lift aircraft is fielded.

In an Aug. 7 meeting with industry, the service said its modernization focus areas are the weapons, sensors, flight performance and electronic communication systems for the next version of the AH-64E, capability version six.

Some of these upgrades include a radar with a longer range to detect unmanned aircraft systems, a system to geo-locate targets and enhanced cameras with color displays and better range.

The Army wants development for capability version six to start in 2018 and end in 2026, when another version would begin development. The Apache is expected to serve as the Army's main attack helicopter until at least 2048.

The next industry days for the Apache are scheduled for February and August next year.

The first meeting will introduce the Army's priorities for the helicopter over the next three to five years as well as their plans for the next six and beyond, while the second will discuss modernization requirements previously discussed. Sometime after these meetings, a request for proposal for the next round of modernization in fiscal year 2020 is expected to be posted.

The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, recently signed by President Trump, includes a provision requiring the Army secretary to brief both armed services committees on the FVL program by March 1. The briefing will go over how the aircraft would survive anti-air attacks, the total number needed, budget requirements and a review of how the needs were determined.

According to a time line shown at the industry day, production of the FVL aircraft is scheduled to start in 2034.