The Target Acquisition and Designation Sights, Pilot Night Vision System (TADS/PNVS) is the combined

sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

and targeting unit fitted to the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter. Both systems are independent, but housed together.

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

signed the original TADS/PNVS production contract on 30 April 1982, and the first TADS/PNVS system was fielded in 1983."Lockheed Martin Awarded $385.6 Million Arrowhead Production Contract"
. (Press Release) 26 June 2006.

. Retrieved 18 July 2013

Target Acquisition and Designation Sights (TADS)

TADS contains stabilized electro-optical sensors, a

laser rangefinder A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by sending a laser pulse in ...

and laser target designator. The TADS assembly can rotate +/− 120 degrees in azimuth, +30/−80 degrees in elevation and can move independently of the PNVS. The movements of TADS can be 'slaved' to the head movements of the helicopter crew to point where they are looking. This allows images from TADS to be projected onto the crew helmet-mounted optical

sights A sight is an aiming device used to assist in visually aligning ranged weapons, surveying instruments or optical illumination equipments with the intended target. Sights can be a simple set or system of physical markers that have to be aligne ...

, overlaid upon their view of the

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

and battle space. TADS contains a thermographic camera and a monochrome daylight television camera. With the improvements planned with M-TADS in the block III level AH-64D, the monochrome TV-camera is planned to be replaced with a full color camera. It also used to contain direct-view optics (DVO) which the copilot/ gunner (CPG) could see through the Optical Relay Tube (ORT). But in recently fielded models of the AH-64D the ORT along with the DVO has been removed as it was rarely used. It has been replaced in the co-pilot's cockpit by a third Multi Purpose Display.

Pilot Night Vision System

Mounted above the TADS, the Pilot

Night Vision System A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...

(PNVS) contains an infrared camera slaved to the head movements of the pilot. PNVS can rotate +/− 90 degrees in azimuth and +20/− 45 degrees in elevation. PNVS has a high rate of movement (120° per second) so as to accurately match the head movements of the pilot.

Arrowhead upgrade

As of 2005 a program was under way to upgrade the U.S. Apache fleet to the Modernized-TADS/PNVS (M-TADS/PNVS) standard, also known as Arrowhead.$262.4M in Arrowheads for Apaches
''

Defense Industry Daily Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

'', 2 May 2005 This upgrade is claimed to give a 150% performance and reliability improvement, while reducing costs through lower maintenance requirements.

References

{{reflist Helicopter components Lockheed Martin