7 The rotary wing aircraft is a key Army capability. From the ever present UH/HH-60 Black Hawk family to the CH-47 Chinook, the AH-64 Apache, and the relatively new UH-72 Lakota, these aircraft have become significant force multipliers. These aircraft transport personnel and equipment, and deliver lethal firepower, across every imaginable terrain and environment. In addition, the ability of rotary wing aircraft to land and take off from just about anywhere is essential to the role of military quick reaction forces and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) teams.
All these airframes and missions have one thing in common: they need protection in the air. No one knows this better than Project Manager Aircraft Survivability Equipment (PM ASE); its right there in the name, after all. And in 2020, Product Manager Infrared Countermeasures (PdM IRCM) pushed hard to hone their product to a sharper edge.