AH-64E Apache
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Characteristics
Max Speed: 147 kt (273 kph)
[Sea Level Standard Day]
149 kt (276 kph)
[Hot Day 2000 ft 70 F (21 C)]
[Sea Level Standard Day]
149 kt (276 kph)
[Hot Day 2000 ft 70 F (21 C)]
Max Rate of Climb: 2,635 fpm (803 mpm)
[Sea Level Standard Day]
2,600 fpm (793 mpm)
[Hot Day 2000 ft 70 F (21 C)]
[Sea Level Standard Day]
2,600 fpm (793 mpm)
[Hot Day 2000 ft 70 F (21 C)]
Costs for AH-64E: 35.5 million USD
Range: 300 miles
Radar
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An/APG-78 Longbow radar is a millimeter radar with a 35 GHZ frequency AH-64D Longbow Apache and it can track 256 targets from 50 kms away, the last specifications of its previous radar was a 10km range, track 128 targets and engage 16 targets.
Electronic Warfare System
AN/ALQ-136
“The AN/ALQ-136 radar jammer is an automatic support system designed to protect helicopters and special operations aircraft from radar related threats.”
AN/ALQ-211 SIRFC
“The AN/ALQ-211 SIRFC is a fully integrated rotary and fixed wing aircraft self-protection suite. The ALQ-211 family provides advanced radar warning, laser warning, chemical warning, situational awareness, jamming, electronic warfare management, targeting system, ELINT, Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and electronic countermeasures capabilities depending upon configuration model.”
AN/APR-48A RFI
“The AN/APR-48A Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI) provides situational awareness and threat warning aboard Apache/Apache Longbow helicopters. It does so by passively detecting, accurately identifying and precisely locating radar emitters. The RFI system performs target acquisition and cueing of Radar Frequency threat systems, such as surface-to-air missile sites or radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery. RFI can operate in conjunction with the AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radiation missile.”
DASS
“DASS is the integrated suite of airborne electronics that will provide AH-64Ds with the ability to achieve missions in the most complex threat environment. DASS consists of ALQ-211, ALQ-212 and AVR-2(V) subsystems. DASS will provide unprecedented protection against Laser, RF and IR threats.”
Infrared System
“Particularly relevant for high-altitude flight is the Arrowhead system’s range for identifying targets. The system provides aircrews with a clear FLIR image at ranges greater than 5 miles. This range enables helicopter pilots to maintain an altitude above 2,500 feet and still provide firepower support to US soldiers on the ground.”
Clear FLIR images of targets can be seen at 5 miles+.
Missiles
Spike NLOS
I have no idea how many of these the Apache can carry, but I do know that it extends its previous weapon range by 3 times the amount when it had the Hellfire Missiles. The decision for the Apache to use Spike NLOS from Israel was decided about a month ago since I have made this post. The range of this missile is 25kms. Its a bigger size so again I do not know how much of these can be carried.
Hellfire Missiles
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I am seriously not going to put every letter variant in here but that the missile comes with the option of using its millimeter radars, laser guidance and INS. The range of these missiles are around 8kms and the Apache can fly around carrying 16 of these.
Ka-52M
Characteristics
The 2011 costs says it is around 16 million USD, However it can likely cost more with the newer Ka-52 and I am not talking about either the Alligator or the Katran as we speak.
Radar
Russian Navy’s Kamov Ka-52 Helicopters To Be Equipped With New AESA Radar
“Russian Naval Variant of Kamov Ka-52 Alligator attack/reconnaissance helicopter will be equipped with compact active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar from KRET.
The AESA radar will be able to operate in the millimetre wavelength for effective ground target acquisition as well as centimetric spectrum to enable large naval targets to be detected at a range of 180 km, IHS Janes reported quoting a company spokersperson as saying Tuesday.”
Russia’s Ka-52M combat helicopter to receive AESA radar
“The Rezets radar for the Ka-52 has a fixed 900×300 mm AESA antenna with 640 transceiver modules. It can detect a group of tanks from 45 km, a railway bridge from 100 km, and a destroyer-class warship from 150 km, according to the manufacturer. In the air-to-air mode, it can detect a fighter aircraft with a radar cross section of 3 sq m from up to 50 km head-on and a hovering helicopter from 20 km. The Rezets radar weighs 130 kg, 10 kg less than the current Ka-52's FH01 produced by Phazotron-NIIR of Moscow, and is air-cooled, with an air scoop for cooling seen on the helicopter's nose fairing.”
It uses low and high frequency for its radar ranging from centimeter to millimeter wavelengths, however no information on the amount of targets it can track, but its range estimates exceed the Arbalet’s 100km range. Old Arabalet radar tracks 20 surface at once and 20 air targets.
Electronic Warfare Systems
President-S
“The Defense System President-S, also referred to as BKO, is a fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft protection system designed to defeat incoming infrared-guided missiles by laser and radiofrequency/electronic jamming of the missile's seeker. President-S is intended to defeat primarily man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) such as the Russian Igla and the United States Stinger shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. KRET and Ekran tested this system firing Igla missiles at a President-S equipped Mi-8 helicopter fixed up on a special rig. During the tests, several missiles were fired from a distance of 1,000 meters with no missile reaching its target due to the highly effective jamming. The President-S system includes: control unit; radar warner; laser warner; missile attack warner; countermeasures dispenser of chaff cartridges, cartridges of infrared radiation, single use cartridges with transmitters, interference; no coherent optical-electronic suppression station; LSOEP laser jamming system; and SAP radiofrequency jammer. The President-S is one of the best aircraft protection systems developed for the Russian Armed Forces.
Optionally, the BKO President-S modular missile protection system can be provided with the ABRL active towed radar decoy for large transport aircraft and tactical airplanes. Besides, the protection system can defeat more sophisticated air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.”
Vitebsk
“The Vitebsk is an onboard self-protection system developed by the KRET Corporation for the Ka-52 attack and scout helicopter. This self-protection system is intended to protect the Ka-52 from threats such as anti-aircraft and anti-tank guided missiles releasing countermeasures. The same self-protection system is being provided to the Russian Air Force Mi-8AMTSh helicopter as well as the Su-25SM3 ground attack aircraft.”
Infrared System
Information on the GOES-451
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/b8845676/files/uploaded/HOF_2.pdf
“The GOES-451 payload, which is installed under the nose, houses a gyro-stabilised platform with two TV-cameras (with narrow and wide fields of view respectively), thermal imager, laser rangefinder/designator, laser spot tracker and ATGM laserbeam guidance system. The thermal imager has a maximum range of 2,7- 3.2nm (5-6km) and is considered to be far from the state-of-the art systems fielded by the latest Western attack and reconnaissance helicopters, while the TV camera has a maximum detection range of tank-size targets of 5.4nm (10km).”
However they have a newer infrared system called the OES-52 and those specifications are probably higher in terms of performance than the GOES-451.
Russia’s Ka-52M combat helicopter to receive AESA radar
“The OES-52 performs similar functions to the GOES-451 and houses five sensors: a thermal imaging camera, TV camera, laser rangefinder/designator, laser beam riding for anti-tank guided missiles, as well as a laser spot tracker. However, it weighs 177 kg, compared with the GOES-451's 220 kg.
