by Matthew Beres, Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Analyst, Forecast International.
Multiple companies have recently been awarded contracts for international AH-64 retrofit programs. As one of the world’s premier attack helicopters, the Apache is well funded, and is upgraded regularly with new and improved technologies.
Boeing has been awarded a $30.7 million contract for post-production support services for the Taiwan Armed Forces AH-64E aircraft fleet. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2023.
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $7.7 million contract modification for Arrowhead upgrade kits in support of the Egyptian Air Force AH-64 Apache helicopter. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of October 31, 2022.
The Arrowhead upgrade includes second-generation FLIR sensors, including M-TADS/PNVS line-replaceable units (LRUs), TADS Electronic Display and Control (TEDAC) assemblies, and the Integrated Helmet Display Sight System (IHDSS). The upgrade provides pilots with increased situational awareness in all weather conditions, as well as improved identification friend or foe (IFF) capability. Another advantage of the hardware is that it is smaller than previous units, increasing open space within the cockpit.
In April 2017, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to deliver 14 kits through 2020 to upgrade the M-TADS of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Lockheed’s Apache sustainment team will also provide performance-based logistics support under a separate three-year contract. Japan was the first international customer for the TADS/PNVS upgrade.
Longbow has been awarded a $15.2 million contract for procurement of Fire Control Radar post-production support services in support of the Republic of Korea’s Army AH-64E Guardian Apache helicopters. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2023.
Korean Air Lines has been awarded a $9.1 million contract modification to provide join depot-level maintenance service for helicopter maintenance for the Air Force of the Republic of Korea. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. It is assumed that this order includes AH-64 rotorcraft.
Of the total worldwide inventory of 1,307 active, on order, and stored Apache aircraft, the U.S. Army has the largest share with 769 aircraft, followed by the United Kingdom Army with 116, and the Saudi and Egyptian air forces with 45 aircraft each. South Korea and Taiwan both have 89 aircraft.
Forecast International’s Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Forecast provides operators in the military and commercial aviation sectors with the information they need to maximize their current investments rather than expand their fleets, a trend that is opening up multiple opportunities for the expansion of retrofit and modernization programs. It offers a one-stop service for tracking the status of commercial and military R&M programs in progress worldwide, and pinpoints key developments in the aviation industry that will impact the market in the future.
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