UNMANNED COPTER TESTING UNDER WAY.Byline: Daily News VICTORVILLE - Boeing is testing an unmanned helicopter intended to fly longer, farther and higher, while making much less noise than current helicopters. The A160 Hummingbird unmanned aerial vehicle A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. could provide reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, communication relay and re-supply for the military, the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States and other organizations, Boeing said. ``This flight ... is an important step toward concept demonstration of this innovative UAV to offer unprecedented capabilities in the history of helicopters,'' said Gary Gallagher, A160 program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. ``This aircraft can change all the rules as they apply to UAV vertical takeoff and landing Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) A flight technique in which an aircraft rises directly into the air and settles vertically onto the ground. Such aircraft do not need runways but can operate from a small pad or, in some cases, from an unprepared site. operations.'' Built for the Navy and a Pentagon research agency, the craft is intended to fly in excess of 24 hours, farther than 2,800 miles and at up to 30,000 feet in altitude, Boeing said. The craft made a test flight Wednesday from an airfield near Victorville that was its first with a six-cylinder Subaru engine. Thirty-one earlier flights used a four-cylinder engine. Engineers are analyzing the flight data with the larger engine in preparation for the next series of test flights. The A160 Hummingbird is being developed and tested by Boeing Phantom Works under contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S. government agency administered by the Department of Defense (see Defense, United States Department of). . Phantom Works is under contract for eight A160 UAVs for DARPA and 10 for Naval Air Systems Command The Naval Air Systems Command, or NAVAIR, is the part of the United States Navy which provides materiel support for naval aircraft and airborne weapon systems, such as guided missiles. NAVAIR was established in 1966 as the successor to the Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons (BuWeps). . Phantom Works will complete initial development of the Hummingbird and then transfer the program to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (Boeing IDS), based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. for further development and production. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) The A160 Hummingbird unmanned aerial vehicle is undergoing testing by Boeing. |
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