20 test flights from Aug. 31 to Oct. 8 with the Foliage Penetration
Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar (FORESTER).
The tests, conducted at Fort Stewart, Ga., validated the radar-carrying
A160T's flight characteristics with more than 50 hours of flying time.
FORESTER is being developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army to provide enhanced coverage of moving
vehicles and dismounted troops under foliage, filling the current
surveillance gap. The Fort Stewart tests were conducted under a
contract with DARPA.
"The success of these test flights points to the operational readiness
of this important capability," said Vic Sweberg, director of Unmanned
Airborne Systems (UAS) for Boeing. "The FORESTER is a unique radar, and
the A160T is a unique helicopter. Together, they make a formidable
system."
The 53 flight hours at Fort Stewart pushed the total flight hours for
the A160T past the 220-hour mark. The helicopter's longest flight at
Fort Stewart was 5.8 hours and its average flight time was 4.2 hours.
The A160T is a turbine-powered unmanned helicopter that can perform
numerous missions, including intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance, communications, and precision resupply. It holds the
world record for endurance for its class (more than 18 hours
unrefueled), can hover at 20,000 feet and can carry up to 2,500 pounds
of cargo.
The Hummingbird recently was selected to participate in the U.S. Marine
Corps Warfighting Laboratory's Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System
Demonstration Program. Boeing will demonstrate that the A160T can
deliver at least 2,500 pounds of cargo from one simulated
forward-operating base to another in fewer than six hours per day for
three consecutive days.,
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