This Is What The AH-64 Apache’s New Extended Rotor Mast Does

 

The top of the Apache's rotor mast has changed dramatically over the years. At first, it was just that, a hub for the helicopter's rotors, but over time, it became a key spot to install sensor and communications systems. The AH-64D Longbow famously included the AN/APG-78 mast-mounted radar, drastically changing the helicopter's profile. Later on, the area became used as a place for a line-of-sight communications array. Now, the latest example of this practice consists of an all-new and very distinct apparatus that will allow the Apache Guardian to control unmanned aircraft and share data like never before.

A significant number of the U.S. Army's AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters are now flying with L3Harris’ Manned-Unmanned Teaming-Extended (MUMT-X). The new rotor mast extension and other hardware allow Apache pilots to take direct control of the sensors and flight paths of multiple RQ-7B Shadow V2 and MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), as well as the latter's weapons. In other words, Apache crews will be able to spot, evaluate, and kill targets from dozens of miles away, and do so even by controlling multiple drones at once. The system also facilitates the transfer of high-bandwidth live video feeds, and other forms of data, from said drones and Apaches to other nodes elsewhere, supporting multiple data connections simultaneously.