Weapon Systems: Status of the Army's Light Helicopter Family Program
Abstract
The Army's Light Helicopter Family (LHX) is to be a fleet of new helicopters with the advanced capabilities to perform several new missions, such as air-to-air combat and fighting across battle lines as well as existing antiarmor and utility missions. The LHX will be the army's most technically advanced helicopter if it is to perform these missions and survive against the expected threat weaponry of the 1990s, while meeting its other requirements of light weight and being a single seat helicopter. It was conceived to replace the Army's current fleet of light helicopters--the AH-1, UH-1, OH-6, and OH-58-- which the Army considers too obsolete to meet the demands of the future battlefield. The heart of the LHX is its avionics, which are as sophisticated as the Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter now in development. The LHX's original goals have proven too optimistic: projected weight and costs are higher, performance expectations are lower, and the feasibility of a single seat version of the LHX remains undemonstrated.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA212840
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office