User Guide
STAYING ALIVE
Today’s helicopters face increasingly dangerous ground and air threats —
weapons that target by remote laser, missiles that employ active and semi-active
radar-homing, and more sensitive, all-aspect IR (infrared, or heat-seeking)
missiles. Several Longbow Apache features counteract these threats. A longer,
leaner profile with minimized vertical surfaces presents a smaller radar target. The
Black Hole IR suppression system diffuses hot engine exhaust gas through
ejector nozzles to lower gas plume and metal temperatures, making the Longbow
Apache a poorer IR target. The Black Hawk and Kiowa also both have a full suite
of defensive countermeasures, and the Kiowa (with its small size, maneuverability
and recon design emphasis) is a particularly slippery target.
However, these advances in design cannot completely protect an aircraft, and its pilot
must accurately understand all ASE (Aircraft Survivability Equipment) systems in order
to locate and identify, then avoid or eradicate all threats and survive the mission.
Aircraft Survivability Equipment
Longbow
Most ASE is automated. When a threat engages you while flying a Longbow, the
ASE page automatically pops up on the left MFD. (It remains up until you switch
to another left MFD page.) Threats are represented by various symbols — 23 is a
ZSU-23 anti-aircraft gun, for example. (For detailed information on the symbols
used in this window, see Aircraft Survivability Equipment MFD, p. 2.35.) The
ASE page only displays objects that are actively using their radar.
The rings around the symbols show the radius of attack for each ground threat.
When you are inside this range, you can be hit. If the ring around a threat turns
solid, the threat has switched from search mode into tracking mode. If a line
connects you to the threat, then the threat is actively tracking
you
.
At this point, your jammer will automatically kick in — you will know this by the
lightning bolt that appears over your aircraft on the ASE MFD and by looking at
the jammer indicators.
RADAR JAM appears for radar threats; IR JAM appears for IR
threats. The AN/APR 39A Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) also has a voice
capability that will verbally warn you when threats are tracking you.
LONGBOW 2
5.2
Line indicates threat
tracking you
Enemy
ASE range
Radius of attack
Your aircraft