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#21
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When the Comanche cancellation announcement was made all of the
engineers at work started breaking out their "wet dream" Powerpoint presentations on upgrades to the Longbow. I've seen proposals that range from sticking a Blackhawk turtleback and drivetrain onto it all the way up to what looks like a cross between a Hind and a Comanche. The amount of money that will be freed up probably won't be that great - lots of things that the Army would like to buy besides aviation assets. The M-TADS was supposed to be fielded on the Lot 7 Longbows. It'll be a miracle if LockMart gets it working in time for Lot 8 - leastwise, working up to the original spec. Israel and Japan have been threatening to cancel their Longbow buys because LMCO hasn't been able to come through on their M-TADS promises. LockMart's penchant for neverending development programs will probably eat up most of whatever money goes to the Longbow improvements. Vygg Ron Carns wrote: With the Comanche being cancelled, money has been freed to fund improvements to the existing airframe. Much of what you mentioned is part of the DRIVETRAIN 2000 upgrade. Rumor has it, that TADS/PNVS should be fielded with lot 8 starting late this year. And the "new" LONGBOW RADAR that you mentioned that will be taken from Comanche....was/is the same RADAR taken from LONGBOW AH-64D to the RH-66 Comanche. The Program Manager (PM) may have contracted for improvements, but it is the same RADAR. We already have a "fly by wire" capability used in emergencies called E-BUCS. As for the tailrotor improvements...I can't speak to those points. I don't belive there is any plan for retractable gear, if there is, then that is a mistake or a trade on crew survivability. I am one of the few people alive that have survived a crash in a LONGBOW. I can say if I had been in any other aircraft, I would be dead. CW4 Ron Carns |
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