Kiowa Warrior replacement saga continues

My colleague Craig Hoyle received this briefing at a conference in London on Wednesday.

Key takeaways:

• ARH competition delayed at least 18 months for Army to conduct analysis of alternatives
• Airlift requirement likely to shift from C-130 to C-17
  
• Meanwhile, the Army will spend $1.3 billion to upgrade OH-58D Kiowa Warriors
  
• KW upgrades include a lighter nose-mounted site (removing mast-mounted site) and integrating a newer, lighter-weight, 50.cal gun.
• Some Army national guard battalions flying A-model Apaches will be upgraded to the AH-64D Longbow

Stay tuned for updates next week. I'm traveling to Nashville to attend the annual convention of the Army Aviation Association of America.