Apache Attack helicopters reduce vulnerability with new Ground Fire Acquisition System
The first Apache attack helicopters to deploy GFAS will be those of 1-101 Aviation based in Fort Campbell some twelve months from now, significantly reducing the vulnerability of the relatively slow, low-flying Boeing AH-64 Apache in combat.
Firing a rifle at a Longbow Apache Attack helicopter in the hope of claiming a US$8 million scalp with a 50 cent bullet might not be a very good idea for too much longer - unless you like keeping company with a Hellfire missile. The U.S. Army’s Longbow Apache Attack helicopters are about to gain a networked Ground Fire Acquisition System (GFAS) which uses infrared cameras to detect muzzle flashes from ground fire, and displays the location and distance of the shooters as an icon on the pilot’s display screen. Not only does this enable the immediate acquisition and prosecution of targets, it also offers the same information to ground forces via the net-centric battlefield information system, giving everyone in the fight vastly improved situational awareness.
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