Description
Via Army.mil - NASHVILLE, Tenn.-- Apache attack helicopters will soon field a new, high-tech Ground Fire Acquisition System, which uses cameras and infrared sensors to instantly identify the source location of ground fire, service officials said.
"GFAS (Ground Fire Acquisition System) detects ground fire. It allows us to take information about incoming fire, get our sensors on it and identify and prosecute ground targets," said Maj. Justin Highley, Assistant product manager for the Longbow Apache.
The infrared sensors built into the GFAS system detect muzzle flashes from the ground, allowing Apache pilots to get their sensors on potential targets and immediately know the location, and distance of ground fire, Highley explained.
Next spring, 1-101 Aviation out of Fort Campbell will become the first unit equipped with GFAS, he said.
The cameras on the aircraft detect the muzzle flash from ground fire - and move the information through an Aircraft Gateway Processor into the cockpit so pilots will see an icon on their display screen, said Lt. Col. Jeff Johnson, product manager, Longbow Apache.
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