November 2000 - Comanche Moves Forward 

by Maj. Gen. Anthony Jones 

            A remarkable event in the training program for the Army's future armed reconnaissance helicopter, the RAH-66 Comanche, was completed at the end of June. Customer Test 1 (CT 1) marked the first time that operational pilots from U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) units - the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions - have been called in this early to evaluate a future operational platform.

            Working with TSM-Comanche, Comanche Program Office personnel and Boeing/Sikorsky contractors, this team of pilots flew two Comanche Portable Cockpit (CPC) simulators to confirm cockpit training procedures - the lowest procedural level - and possible future tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). Analysis was conducted by the Army's Operational Test Command (OTC). This first test was a complete success and insightful lessons were gleaned from the pilots participating in the test.

            The six FORSCOM pilots who participated in CT 1 are the first operational pilots to fly complete missions in the Comanche simulation devices. Prior to the test, each pilot received 50 hours of ground training provided by Boeing Helicopter training personnel and 32 hours of simulation flight training provided by the Early Operational Capability (EOC) pilots assigned to TSM-Comanche. This article will discuss training requirements and show how the appropriate TTPs are being developed, notwithstanding the cultural changes requisite to the success of future operational missions.  

            As depicted in Figure 1, future tests will involve additional FORSCOM aviators and are designed to validate crew, team, company/troop and squadron TTPs. The purpose behind this early operational involvement is to shorten the time required to develop and validate operational principles for new and evolving systems, and ensure that appropriate concepts are evaluated for incorporation into future aviation doctrine.

            The EOC unit is composed of officers with extensive AH-64 Apache and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior experience, one maintenance technician and highly trained aviation noncommissioned officer maintainers. These soldiers have been assigned to this unit based on past job performance and practical experience. Their job is threefold:

            1. Develop the TTPs for Comanche equipped units. 

            2. Work with the Comanche PMO personnel and the Boeing/Sikorsky contractors who are designing the aircraft to meet the needs promulgated by the TSM-Comanche office and ensure these requirements are being met. 

            3. Conduct demonstrations of the Comanche's capabilities using the CPCs. 

            In recent years these pilots have become the experts on Comanche employment and can be found participating in such major studies as the TRADOC Analysis Center Combined Arms (TRAC) Reconnaissance Analysis, Global 97 (a joint exercise conducted at the Naval War College), and the soon to be finished Comanche Analysis of Alternatives.  Each of these studies tests future concepts, and the EOC aviators provide the operational expertise on Comanche's capabilities and the aircraft's effects on the future battlefield. Additionally, the entire unit participated in the 1997 Division Advanced Warfighting Experiment.  That exercise included new operations designed around the low-observable (LO) capability inherent to the Comanche's design.

            Comanche is designed to execute missions on the future battlefield. High priority targets (HPT) deep in enemy or unknown territory, an operational area unmarked by boundaries, and the increasingly widespread use of sophisticated camouflage and deception techniques have become perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the future battlefield. Comanche's LO characteristics, highly sophisticated electro-optic and infrared systems, radar, aircraft survivability equipment (ASE) suite and communications mission equipment package make it an ideal system to detect, identify and neutralize these targets. Additionally, a sophisticated planning program is required that can integrate multiple known and suspected threats and determine the best flight path and aspect angle single and multiple aircraft need to fly to maximize their survivability. 

            To instill confidence in the crews, they must be able to conduct training flights in high-threat environments where multiple radar and IR threats are emulated. It will not be enough to fly missions in virtual simulation. Commanders and crews must be able to review actual tapes showing critical events and when, how, or if air defense artillery (ADA) systems could detect them.  ASE equipment will ensure that Comanche crews receive adequate threat warnings, but they must have the confidence to know that they "can see but not be seen, or tracked" while they are receiving indications of threat ADA activity. This will come only through live simulation training and should be a part of every unit's training program at home station and the various training centers. 

            Comanche's current planned onboard Tactics Expert Function (TEF) capability will minimize threat exposure based on recommended route changes, but it does not recommend an aircraft aspect angle, airspeed or altitude to minimize detection. This feature should be incorporated into the Comanche design and into the Aviation Missions Planning Station (AMPS) with the capability to address multiple threats.

            Comanche can penetrate highly developed, integrated air defense networks either undetected or with relative impunity if detected, because its LO design has reduced detectability significantly beyond that of legacy systems. Moreover, Comanche has the ability to conduct controllable flight while flying at aircraft aspect angles up to 90 degrees relative to the flight path, at speeds between 80 and 100 knots. Comanche can cruise at speeds above 160 knots, though controllable out-of-trim aspect angles are reduced. Altitude is also a major player. In desert terrain, altitude changes can significantly affect detectability.  Airspeed is also a factor. Threat-system dependent, airspeed plays against the MTI (moving target indicator) algorithms of the radar.  MTI curves have low spots by design that Comanche crews can capitalize on to increase survivability.

            IR factors follow radar. Off-axis maneuvers shade areas vulnerable to IR lock. Combined with airspeed, off-axis maneuvers increase Comanche's effectiveness.

            Figure 2 shows the tactical application of the insights gleaned through the extensive simulation testing that has supported the development of LO TTPs. The LO data are an indicator of when possible altitude, airspeed and aspect angle would need to be adjusted to minimize Comanche's presentable signature and maximize survivability.

            The importance of this ongoing development process cannot be overstated. The many hours, days and weeks that the TSM-Comanche aviators devote to this program will someday mean the difference between life and death, mission success or mission failure on the future battlefield. The process is extensive and time consuming.  As our virtual simulation devices become more sophisticated we can and will conduct further testing and validation with EOC and FORSCOM aviators before we test the LO TTPs with live aircraft against real air-defense systems. Our challenge will be to ensure that we remain flexible, innovative and visionary in our approach to the level of training we will need to conduct at all levels - maintainer, aviator, leader - to maximize the capabilities of this futuristic combat system.

Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Jones is commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., and chief of the aviation branch.