Lockheed Martin Tests Apache Sensor System

Lockheed Martin last week announced it has flight tested a low-light-level sensor system for U.S. Army Arrowhead-equipped AH-64D Apache helicopters. The Visible/Near Infrared (V/NIR) sensor is integrated into the Modernized-Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-PNVS) system, providing enhanced situational awareness in low-light conditions, the company said. The $9.4 million contract for the V/NIR proof-of-principle phase was awarded in 2007 to Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control by the Apache Program Executive Office in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin will produce the V/NIR lens and serve as the system integrator, while Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors in Akron, Ohio, will provide the system’s camera. The contract includes a new lens design and repackaging of six engineering units to be used to meet Apache flight environment requirements.