Australian Army attack helicopters of the future could be equipped with the ability to operate their own fleet of drones, able to conduct surveillance or to attack targets including hostile drones.
That capability, called launched effects, is now being developed for the US Army. Australia hasn’t yet signed onto this one as yet, but it could do so once the new Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters enter service.
“The sky is the limit on launched effects. There are a lot of different capabilities being developed,” Terry Jamison, Business Development Director for Boeing Attack Helicopter Programs said in a media briefing last week.
“A lot of US Army energy is being spent on these right now. It is a top priority program.”
Australia’s first four of 29 Apaches, ordered in 2021 and now in production in Mesa, Arizona, are set to arrive by year’s end, making us the 18th global operator.
The Apaches will replace the Australian Army’s 19 unloved Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH). An Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of 12 aircraft is planned for 2026 and final operational capability in 2028.
Australian Apaches are being delivered in near identical configuration to US Army aircraft.
Jamison said the key to the next fight would be the partnership between crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Termed manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) or crewed-uncrewed teaming, this has been under development for over a decade but is only now approaching its true potential.
That’s been tried in Australia. The idea was for the crew of a Tiger ARH to control an ISR drone such as a Scan Eagle and view its feed.
“Launched effects are being developed specifically for attack helicopters to operate and control,” Jamison said.
“The launched effects greatly extends the range, reach, situational awareness, lethality and survivability of the attack helicopter fleet. Launched effects are described as small, medium and large class, unmanned, attritable, autonomous to semi-autonomous capabilities. They have a variety of payloads from sensors, lethality and there is even a counter-drone payload in the medium class.”
These could be launched from the Apache or from a separate ground or air platform such as a Black Hawk or Chinook helicopter.
“These capabilities are being evaluated right now through a series of exercises,” he said.
“No drone or uncrewed platform alone can do what an Apache can do today, particularly when you partner it with drone or UAS capability.”
Australian Apaches will arrive equipped with a range of advanced capabilities including fire control radar (FCR) and the radar frequency interferometer (RFI) able to sense from a concealed position out to 16 kilometres and attack with Hellfire or JAGM missiles. The FCR has an air-to-ground, air-to-air and maritime mode.
The Ukraine conflict and the proliferation of drones has significantly informed thought on how future wars will be fought, including use of helicopters.
Russian attack helicopters initially performed poorly, with substantial losses due to a range of causes - from poor tactics to effective Ukrainian countermeasures, including use of US-supplied Stinger and even anti-tank missiles.
In the first year of the war, Russia lost 59 attack helicopters, predominantly their most advanced Ka-52, which led to commentary that attack helicopters had no future in a modern high intensity conflict.
But a new report by a NATO think tank, the Joint Air Power Competence Centre, indicates that Russian helicopter forces have substantially lifted their game.
“That has flipped in the last 7-8 months based on training, experience, adjustment of tactics, techniques, and procedures and a couple of hardware upgrades,” Jamison said.
“The Russian attack helicopters are now the dominant capability on the Ukrainian battlefield. The Russian helicopter capability pales in comparison with the Apache, so if they are able to do it, then I know our aircraft can do it.”