The U.S. Army's future Capabilities Directorates (A-FCD) conducted an event at the beginning of this month related to practicing combat operations under so-called Cross Domain Fires (CDF) conditions, where the military focused on practicing integration of command and control systems, detection, target acquisition, as well as strike execution.
The experiments took place at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground, according to the U.S. Army press service. The highlight was the successful first launch of the Altius 700 loitering munition from an AH-64 Apache army attack helicopter.
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Details about these tests reveal only that launches were conducted both in helicopter hover mode and during movement. Conducting this event was very beneficial for both us and the Army, noted Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) project engineer Edgar Castillo. However, it's unknown what specific targets could have been engaged during these tests and how successfully.
The U.S. Army emphasizes that the ability to launch loitering munitions from Apache provides crucial advantage to commanders, allowing them to extend detection range and use technology instead of soldiers to establish first contact with the enemy. The U.S. Army is rapidly integrating multi-level drones and detection means into various formations.
These trials took place against the backdrop of public deliberations about whether expensive attack helicopters are needed on today's battlefield. For example, last year one American lieutenant general, Joseph Ryan, expressed the opinion that even the newest AH-64E variant is now on the edge of its capabilities and may completely disappear from the modern battlefield.
South Korea, for instance, completely abandoned procurement of the planned 36 Apache helicopters and directed funds to other projects, although in this country's case these helicopters could have come in handy against North Korea.
In this context, the manufacturer of these helicopters, Boeing, decided to prove that even in the drone era there is a place for Apache on the battlefield. Among the arguments was precisely the ability to launch drones that will be engaged in target search, among other things.
Regarding the Altius 700M, this is the newest version in the series of these loitering munitions from Anduril. First and foremost, were talking about unprecedented capabilities for Apache to conduct strikes at ranges of 160 km with loitering time up to 75 minutes and a 15 kg warhead. The Altius 700 version has a stated range of up to 460 km with airborne endurance of 4 hours.
This means an option for both conducting strikes with a decent warhead and the ability to genuinely improve situational awareness as well as transmit data for engagement by other means.
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