Air Warrior (AW) is a modular, integrated, rapidly reconfigurable combat

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

ensemble designed for

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

aircrews. Previous aviation life support equipment consisted of a non-integrated assemblage of protective and survival gear. AW uses a systems approach to equipping the aircrew and closes the capability gap between human and machine. Fielded incrementally in blocks to rapidly provide enhanced capabilities to the

warfighter A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, AW leverages and integrates clothing and equipment, such as the

Army Aircrew Combat Uniform The Army Aircrew Combat Uniform (A2CU) is a two-piece flight suit formerly in the Universal Camouflage Pattern, but now Operational Camouflage Pattern that offers the soldier protection from flash fires. The coat is similar to the ACU in design, ...

and ballistic protection, from other product managers. As of April 2010, more than 18,000 AW systems had been fielded in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Components

Electronic Data Manager

The Spiral 3.5 Electronic Data Manager (EDM) is a light, rugged, sunlight-readable touch-screen computer operating on Windows-based software. The EDM is in the form of a kneeboard and provides the aviator with an Aviation Mission Planning System interface, enhanced situational awareness, GPS moving map capabilities, and enables the aircrew to quickly plan and safely execute missions and react rapidly to mission changes in flight. More than 2,200 Spiral 3.5 EDMS have been fielded.

Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System

The Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System (PHODS) is a lightweight breathing oxygen product worn by the aircrew that provides supplemental oxygen to Soldiers without restricting their movements in and around their aircraft. An automatic regulator dispenses oxygen via

nasal cannula The nasal cannula (NC) is a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or increased airflow to a patient or person in need of respiratory help. This device consists of a lightweight tube which on one end splits into two prongs which are placed ...

in the correct amount and rate based upon altitude and the individual’s breathing rate. It replaces the Helicopter

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

System, which weighed well over 100 pounds, tethered the user to the aircraft, and could not be fitted on all Army rotary wing aircraft. Over 1,700 systems have been as of mid-2010.

Aircraft Wireless Intercom System

The Aircraft Wireless Intercom System (AWIS) provides hands-free, cordless communication between aircrew members. The system has a full duplex voice-activated mode, hands-free mode, and a push-to-talk mode. It features fifty independent channels (aircraft networks) with up to six crew members on each aircraft network. AWIS enables simultaneous omnidirectional communications among all users in the aircraft network within 200 feet of the center of the aircraft and provides the first true intercom capability between the entire aircraft crew, hoist operators, and rescue personnel on the hoist. Over 130 systems are fielded as of mid-2010 and an encryption capability will be added in

Fiscal Year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2011.

History

Increment III

AW Increment III includes: Electronic Data Manager, a portable digital mission planning device for over-the-horizon messaging and enhanced situational awareness capabilities through connectivity to Blue Force Tracking-Aviation Aircraft Wireless Intercom System for secure cordless, hands-free aircrew communications Survival Kit, Ready Access,

Modular Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a sy ...

(SKRAM) Go Bag with integrated hydration Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System, a Soldier-worn supplemental breathing oxygen system for high-altitude operations Communication Enhancement and Protection System (CEPS), provides helmet hear-through capability

Successor

Building on the legacy Air Warrior gear carriage and clothing system, the Air Soldier (AS) Increment 1a initiative focuses on improving aircrew survivability, comfort, and efficiency by reducing weight and torso bulk, improving head and laser eye protection, and increasing rear crew member mobility. The AS Increment 1a will feature optimized survival equipment (72-hour requirement) and a pocket system that eliminates unnecessary items. It also will include standardized survival gear components. It will reduce the bulk and weight of the legacy Air Warrior body armor system. As part of the AS Increment 1a, the Modular Aircrew Common Helmet (MACH) or an improved legacy HGU-56/P helmet will offer a 15 to 50 percent improvement in head impact protection. Advances in laser eye protection (from 3 to 5 fixed wavelengths) are also included in the initiative. The Wearable Environmental Control System (WECS), powered by an Integrated Portable Power Source, will eliminate the cooling system umbilical for nonrated crew members. The AS Increment 1a will also feature enhanced SA/C3 capabilities to achieve JBC-P interoperability. Initial implementation of terrain/obstacle avoidance capability will be through the AW Electronic Data Manager. Contract award for AS Increment 1a is expected in 2011.

Microclimate Cooling System

The Microclimate Cooling System (MCS) gives Army aircrews an increase of over 350 percent (from 1.6 hours to 5.7 hours) mission endurance while wearing chemical protective equipment or in other

heat stress Hyperthermia, also known simply as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme ...

mission environments. The system features a vest and aircraft-mounted cooling unit that pumps chilled water via an umbilical to small tubes embedded in the vest. Because of its success as part of the Air Warrior ensemble, the MCS is also being used by crews in ground vehicle platforms in

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, including

Stryker The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...

Abrams Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, W ...

, and

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...

Sources

''This article incorporates work from https://web.archive.org/web/20110719162954/https://peosoldier.army.mil/newpeo/Folio2010/PMSW/PM_CSW/XM205.xml, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

as it is a work of the United States Military.'' {{Future soldier programmes United States Army equipment