One of the three Abrams tanks the Marine Corps lost in Iraq was destroyed by
friendly fire, specifically by a Hellfire anti-tank missile launched from a
Cobra attack helicopter.
Avoiding such incidents of “blue-on-blue” fire is one reason why
the Marine Corps wants to renovate its entire fleet of 200 Cobras and equip
them with powerful targeting sensors that would allow pilots to positively identify
targets out to the range of the Hellfire missile—approximately 5-8 km.
The upgrade to the Cobras is part of a broader effort to fix up the Corps’
Vietnam-era helicopter fleet. Both the Cobra gunship and the Huey utility chopper
will get new engines, digital glass cockpits, four-bladed rotors and the airframes
will be rebuilt so they can fly 10,000 more hours. About 100 Hueys will change
from the UH-1N to the UH-1Y configuration. Between 180-200 refurbished AH-1W
Cobras will be renamed AH-1Z.
Five of the rebuilt aircraft already are flying in tests that will continue
through 2004, said Marine Col. Doug Isleib, program manager for the UH-1Y and
AH-1Z. Of the five, two are UH-1Ys. Of the three AH-1Zs, only two are fully
upgraded. The third has the new engine, drivetrain and rotor system, but retains
the original AH-1W avionics and cockpit.
The Cobra-Huey upgrade program slowly is recovering from a near-death experience,
when the Defense Department cited it for significant cost overruns and threatened
to cancel it. Isleib attributed the problems to a gross underestimation of the
cost, dating back to 1996. “We reached a point when we needed to turn
things around or find an alternative aircraft,” he told National Defense.
Each helicopter now is expected to cost, on average, $16.5 million, a bargain
price compared to what new helos cost, Isleib said.
Between 2003-2009, the Marine Corps will spend $1.1 billion on research and
development and $5.6 billion to upgrade at least 280 aircraft. By 2008, the
Marine Corps plans to begin fielding fleet squadrons, each composed of six Cobras
and three Hueys.
A high-level Pentagon review by the Defense Acquisition Board is scheduled
for August. The DAB must give the program the green light before the contractor—Bell
Helicopter Textron—can begin production. Isleib’s office plans to
release in July the results of recent operational tests.
Isleib is hopeful that the project will move forward, despite widespread concerns
that the Defense Department will not be able to afford it.
The aging Cobras and Hueys cannot last much longer without major upgrades,
Isleib said. Performance gains also are sought. The Huey UH-1N has a maximum
payload of 10,500 pounds. The UH-1Y will be able to carry 18,500 pounds. With
better engines and rotors, both helicopters will reach speeds of 200 knots.
The Cobra targeting sensor is the most significant “war-fighting enhancement,”
said Isleib, because it allows pilots to “see, identify and positively
recognize friend or foe from much farther away.”
The targeting sight is a third-generation forward looking infrared made by
Lockheed Martin Corp. The Huey will have a less-powerful sensor, called Brite
Star, made by FLIR Systems Inc.
The Brite Star mounts under the nose of the helicopter. It provides a forward-looking
infrared radar and television image along with laser designation and range finding.
The system is scheduled to enter service in September 2003. Isleib’s office,
however, shipped its two Brite Star test prototypes to units in Southwest Asia,
so they could be used in combat over Iraq.
The Cobra FLIR, which has not yet completed testing, is a more sophisticated
sensor, Isleib said. “Cobra can take a larger system and requires a better
capability as an attack helicopter.” With this targeting sight, “you
can positively ID out to the maximum range of Hellfire.”
Both helos will have the same glass cockpit. The current cockpits have “a
lot of kluged-on systems and analog gauges that are labor intensive,”
said Isleib. “In these aircraft, the pilot can focus on fighting, on what’s
outside, rather than trying to figure out what his airplane is telling him.”
The Cobra’s new weapon stations will accommodate 16 Hellfire missiles
plus two air-to-air Sidewinders.
Despite their age, the Cobras survived the damage experienced in recent operations
in Iraq, where many of them took small-arms fire from Iraqi defenders.
Cobra pilots, said Isleib, always are trained to “stay moving, to not
shoot from hover, but to keep moving.” During close-air support operations,
sensors become invaluable assets, he added. “It’s important to see
the enemy before they see us.”