the apache needs a new long-range missile
the us army is looking for a new long-range air-to-ground missile system to arm the ah-64
apache attack helicopter the missile would allow apaches to engage targets at long distances
and use drones to spot enemy targets allowing
the choppers to stay safely away from enemy air defenses
the army calls the new weapon the long-range precision munition lrpm the service is requesting
funding to hold a competition for the lrpm with a shoot-off between competing missiles in 2022
the army will then select one or more promising missiles in 2023 and develop them through 2028
according to defense news right now the army uses the israeli-made spike non-line of sight
and los missile in the long-range role unlike the current agm-114 hellfire anti-tank missiles
which has a direct fire range of 4.3 miles spike and los has a range of 19.9 miles
last march an army apache helicopter successfully struck a target at 19.9 miles
most army missiles can only engage targets within the missile crew's direct line of sight
los a new generation of missiles however can engage targets beyond the launcher's line of
sight hence the nlos designation newer missiles like spike and los use non-mounted cameras
and a secure data link to provide the missile crew with an in-flight view
of the battlefield allowing them to locate and destroy targets on their own
the apache helicopter's primary armament is the agm-114 hellfire whose range hasn't increased much
since its development in the 1980s that's a problem as a new generation of russian
and chinese air defense systems have made the skies much more dangerous
the russian t-o-r nato code name gauntlet surface-to-air missile system has a range
of up to 9.3 miles while the newer panzer s1 greyhound system has a range of up to 12.4 miles
an apache armed with hellfire missiles would have to travel well within the
combat range of a panzer s1 to get into position to use its missiles
the army search for nlos missiles is a long time coming in 1999 the service
deployed task force hawk to intervene as part of a nato force in the yugoslavian civil war
army planners originally hoped to use apache helicopters to strike yugoslavian forces
but never actually used them due to a concern about losing helicopters to enemy air defenses
in the 2003 invasion of iraq an attempted deep strike by 31 apaches of the third
infantry division resulted in all but one of the apaches being damaged and one being shot down
the apaches telegraphed their intentions by flying over regime-friendly territory
warning iraq air defenses who proceeded to shoot up the helicopters the army never attempted a deep
apache strike again the apache is a well-armored maneuverable helicopter but the best defense is to
strike from beyond the range of enemy air defenses a future mission with the new lrpm might involve
apaches hovering in a safe location sending smaller quieter and ultimately disposable drones
like the rq7 shadow into heavily defended areas the drones would relay the location of enemy air
defenses back to the apaches which would then destroy them with lrpm strikes once the enemy
air defenses are stripped away the main attack can commence apaches armed with the hellfire and its
replacement the joint air-to-ground missile would close in and destroy the rest of the enemy forces
lrpm has a long-needed modernization of army attack helicopter firepower it's also possible
that ground forces could adopt whatever missiles army aviators choose a missile
like spike and los is essentially precision guided artillery capable of flying around
mountains hills and cities to not only scout but also strike the targets hidden behind them
so
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