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Helicopter Target Sight Deal Holds Diplomatic Implications

Dec 29, 2016

cobra — PACIFIC OCEAN -- Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Henry, an aviation boatswains mate from Pearl City, Hawaii, guides an AH-1Z "Viper SuperCobra" landing aboard USS Makin Island Oct. 5. The attack helicopter was piloted by Capt. Travis Patterson and 1st Lt. Michael Tetreault, who serve with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367, aka Scarface. A squadron detachment is supporting the aviation combat element of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit's special-purpose Marine air-ground task force. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is the first amphibious landing force to embark Makin Island, which set sail for San Francisco Oct. 1 to participate in the city's 2010 Fleet Week. There the 11th MEU plans to showcase to the public the Marine Corps' men and women, its aircraft and equipment, and its ability to conduct missions that span the overlapping spectrums of peace and combat, from disaster relief of war. Tetrealt is from Killingly, Conn., and Patterson is from Austin, Texas. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Preston Reed)

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The US Department of Defence has awarded a $284.6 million contract to major contractors Lockheed Martin to produce infrared target sight systems (TSS) for the US Navy and Pakistan.

The TSS incorporates a third-generation forward-looking infrared sensor that provides target sighting in day, night, or adverse weather conditions.

The system will be used for the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters, which have proved very effective in combats against militants, particularly in difficult terrains. According to the Indian Express, the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter is used by US Marine Corps expeditionary forces.

A Pentagon press release said the TSS system was described as a state-of-the-arts infrared sensor. It provides the capability to identify and laser-designate targets at maximum weapon range, significantly enhancing platform survivability and lethality. The company’s Orlando-based missile and fire control unit will produce the sight system through January 2022 for the US Navy and Pakistan under the foreign military sales portion of the award.

The contract has a base value of $150.96 million but its accumulative cost would go up to $284.6 million. The government of Pakistan will pay about 12% of the total cost through an arrangement with the US under the Foreign Military Sales programme.

In January, Lockheed Martin received a smaller contract of $14 million to provide the same target system for Pakistan.

The contracts include software development and testing, system modification, and installation requirements to integrate the TSS into the Cobra helicopters.

The TSS provides target information and tracking data for the helicopter, in addition to passive targeting for integrated weapons. Work on the first contract would be completed by December 2017.

Although the United States and Pakistan were once close allies, relations between the two countries strained in 2011, when the US eliminated al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden during a covert raid. The bilateral ties slipped further after the US Congress blocked financing of eight F-16 fighter jets earlier this year, US lawmakers accused Pakistan of continuing to support the Afghan Taliban.