Air Warrior (AW) is a combat

aircrew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviatio ...

ensemble designed for

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

aircrews. Some previous aviation life support equipment consisted of a non-integrated assemblage of protective and survival gear. The Air Warrior is fielded incrementally in blocks to rapidly provide enhanced capabilities to the

warfighter A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

. It leverages and integrates clothing and equipment, such as the Army Aircrew Combat Uniform, and ballistic protection from other product managers. As of April 2020, more than 18,000 AW systems had been used in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Components

Electronic Data Manager

The Spiral 3.5 Electronic Data Manager (EDM) is a light, rugged, sunlight-readable touch-screen computer operating on Windows-based software. The EDM is in the form of a kneeboard and provides the

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

with an Aviation Mission Planning System interface, enhanced situational awareness, and GPS moving map capabilities. It also enables the aircrew to quickly plan missions, safely execute them, and rapidly react to mission changes in flight. More than 2,200 Spiral 3.5 EDMS have been fielded.

Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System

The Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System (PHODS) is a lightweight breathing oxygen product worn by the aircrew that provides supplemental oxygen to soldiers without restricting their movements. An automatic regulator dispenses oxygen via

nasal cannula The nasal cannula (NC) is a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or increased airflow to a patient or person in need of respiratory help. This device consists of a lightweight tube which on one end splits into two prongs which are place ...

in the correct amount and rate based on altitude and the individual’s breathing rate. It replaces the Helicopter Oxygen System which weighed well over 100 pounds, tethered the user to the aircraft, and could not be fitted on all Army

rotary wing aircraft A rotary-wing aircraft, rotorwing aircraft or rotorcraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings that spin around a vertical mast to generate lift. Part 1 (Definitions and Abbreviations) of Subchapter A of Chapter I of Title 14 of the ...

. Over 1,700 systems have been as of mid-2010.

Aircraft Wireless Intercom System

The Aircraft Wireless Intercom System (AWIS) provides hands-free, cordless communication between aircrew members. The system has a full duplex voice-activated mode, hands-free mode, and a push-to-talk mode. It features fifty independent channels/aircraft networks with up to six crew members on each aircraft network. AWIS enables simultaneous omnidirectional communications among all users in the aircraft network within 200 feet of the center of the aircraft and provides the first true intercom capability between the entire aircraft crew, hoist operators, and rescue personnel on the hoist. Over 130 systems are fielded as of mid-2010 and an encryption capability will be added in

Fiscal Year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2011.

History

Increment III

AW Increment III includes: * Electronic Data Manager, a portable digital mission planning device for over-the-horizon messaging and enhanced situational awareness capabilities through connectivity to Blue Force Tracking-Aviation * Aircraft Wireless Intercom System for secure cordless, hands-free aircrew communications * Survival Kit, Ready Access,

Modular Module, modular and modularity may refer to the concept of modularity. They may also refer to: Computer science and engineering * Modular design, the engineering discipline of designing complex devices using separately designed sub-components ...

(SKRAM) * Go Bag with integrated hydration * Portable Helicopter Oxygen Delivery System, a Soldier-worn supplemental breathing oxygen system for high-altitude operations * Communication Enhancement and Protection System (CEPS), providing helmet hear-through capability

Successor

Building on the legacy Air Warrior gear carriage and clothing system, the Air Soldier System (Air SS) Increment 1a initiative focuses on improving aircrew survivability, comfort, and efficiency by reducing weight and torso bulk, improving head and laser eye protection, and increasing rear crew member mobility. The Air SS Increment 1a will feature optimized survival equipment (72-hour requirement) and a pocket system that eliminates unnecessary items. It also will include standardized survival gear components. It will reduce the bulk and weight of the legacy Air Warrior body armor system. As part of the AS Increment 1a, the Modular Aircrew Common Helmet (MACH) or an improved legacy HGU-56/P helmet will offer a 15 to 50 percent improvement in head impact protection. Advances in laser eye protection (from 3 to 5 fixed wavelengths) are also included in the initiative. The Wearable Environmental Control System (WECS), powered by an Integrated Portable Power Source, will eliminate the cooling system umbilical for nonrated crew members. The AS Increment 1a will also feature enhanced SA/C3 capabilities to achieve JBC-P interoperability. Initial implementation of terrain/obstacle avoidance capability will be through the AW Electronic Data Manager. Contract award for AS Increment 1a is expected in 2011.

Microclimate Cooling System

The Microclimate Cooling System (MCS) gives Army aircrews an increase of over 350 percent mission endurance (from 1.6 hours to 5.7 hours), while wearing chemical protective equipment or in other

heat stress Hyperthermia, also known as overheating, is a condition in which an individual's body temperature is elevated beyond normal due to failed thermoregulation. The person's body produces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates. When extreme temp ...

mission environments. The system features a vest and aircraft-mounted cooling unit that pumps chilled water via an umbilical to small tubes embedded in the vest. Because of its success as part of the Air Warrior ensemble, the MCS were also being used by crews in ground vehicle platforms in

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, including

Stryker The Stryker is a family of Eight-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in L ...

, Abrams, and Bradley.

References

''This article incorporates work from https://web.archive.org/web/20110719162954/https://peosoldier.army.mil/newpeo/Folio2010/PMSW/PM_CSW/XM205.xml, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

as it is a work of the United States Military.'' {{Future soldier programmes United States Army equipment