Lockheed Martin delivers M-DSA to US Army
Lockheed Martin has delivered the first Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) upgrade prototype units to the US Army for use on the Apache attack helicopter. Lockheed Martin made the announcement in a 7 December 2011 company statement.
Lockheed Martin recently delivered five System Design and Development (SDD) Laser Rangefinder Designators (LRFDs) to the Army a three-year contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in September 2008 to modernise the Apache's Day Sensor Assembly.
The LRFD is the chief targeting aid for the Apache, establishing the range to the target for accurate weapon aiming. For the HELLFIRE II missile, the LRFD designates the aim point with a laser spot. Additionally, the M-DSA LRFD adds an eye-safe laser for safe training exercises.
According to the company, the first phase of the upgrades is being performed to mitigate obsolescence and enhance the system's performance, as well as to increase the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system's ability to fully accommodate future weapons. A second phase will include upgrades to the visible colour sensor, laser spot tracker, inertial measurement unit and day sensor structure assembly and adds a laser pointer/marker compatibility. This effort recently completed a successful critical design review in its SDD contract.
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