Why Do Apache Helicopters Have A Giant Sensor On The Nose?

The AH-64 Apache is known for its firepower, high-tech systems, and overall capability. But the most-feared military helicopter is also known for its striking features, most notably its nose assembly. That large protrusion contains the Apache’s Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (MTADS/PNVS). The Apache uses this equipment to locate and track targets.

The U.S. Army first fielded the MTADS/PNVS system back in 2005, and it went into combat in Iraq the following year. By 2013, the system had accumulated one million flight hours, with most of those hours coming during combat missions. The system was used extensively in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The MTADS/PNVS system allowed crews to adjust their tactics, helping them locate targets more effectively. This was important because without these systems, the Apache’s weapons would be of little use in combat situations. 

The Apache’s Day Sensor Assembly (DSA), part of the targeting system in its lower nose turret, has changed over time, as some of the original technology dates back to designs from the 1970s. Lockheed Martin’s Gen 3 upgrade brought newer equipment into the system to keep it compatible with modern weapons. This includes a new laser rangefinder/designator, updated electronics, a color TV sensor, and a newer laser spot tracker. The upgrade also adds a laser pointer marker for coordination with air and ground forces. The Gen 3 TADS/PNVS system handles targeting and pilotage during the day, at night, and in bad weather.

The AH-64 Apache is one of the hardest military helicopters to fly, and there is another issue at play as well. The Apache’s current pilotage system uses a single thermal camera mounted on a gimbal that moves with the pilot’s line of sight. This setup lets the pilot direct the camera toward whatever they’re looking at. But there is a limitation, as the pilot can’t see all of the surrounding area at once. However, researchers at the University of Arizona are working on a project that may solve this problem.

The University of Arizona team is developing two prototype systems that use 21 sensors mounted inside a fixed ball on the Apache’s nose. One system uses uncooled long-wave infrared sensors for nighttime flying, while the other system uses visible-spectrum cameras for research and testing. Images from the sensors are combined into one wide view that can then be displayed in the pilot’s headset. The new system provides a 210-degree horizontal field of view, which is around five to seven times wider than the Apache’s current system.

University of Arizona researchers aren’t operating in a vacuum, as their work is being funded by the U.S. Army. The university is conducting research into strap-down pilotage technology as part of the Army’s Apache development efforts. The project includes flight testing a prototype pilotage sensor, with the Army specifically looking at issues such as motion blur and fixed-pattern noise.