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Little Bird Could Become Bigger
Commenting at Le Bourget on progress with the U.S. Army’s Little Bird unmanned helicopter program, vp Boeing Rotorcraft Systems Mike Tkach said that the converted MD 530 demonstrator had completed over 180 hours of testing since its first flight on Sept. 8, 2004. Mission performance includes 126-kts cruise speed, 18,000-foot ceiling, up to 300 nmi radius of action, and seven hours maximum endurance. Mission payloads up to 1,650 pounds could be used for convoy protection, improvised explosive device detection, counter-mortar, communications link, target designation and combat resupply roles.
A development of the combat-proven Boeing/MD AH-6M U.S. Army version of the MD 530F, which meets all the requirements to replace the canceled RAH-66 Comanche, is also being proposed by Boeing for the Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program. Boeing is leading an industrial team, which includes BAE Systems, CAE, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins and Rolls-Royce, to compete for this project. It would be net-ready, with five communications channels, and incorporate satcom, Blue Force Tracking, integrated data management, and state-of-the-art aircraft survivability equipment. U.S. Army requests for best-and-final offers for this program are expected later this month.
—John Fricker
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