GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Four contracts awarded for concept design and trade studies following success of UCAV and UCAV-N programmes
Competing concepts for an unmanned combat armed rotorcraft (UCAR) are to be developed under four contracts awarded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Modelled on DARPA's programmes to demonstrate an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) for the US Air Force and UCAV-N for the US Navy, the UCAR effort aims to provide a system to the US Army for full-scale development beginning in 2010.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin/Bell, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky/Raytheon will each receive contracts worth around $3 million for the 12-month first phase of the UCAR programme, which will cover concept design and trade studies. Up to two contractors will then be selected to complete a nine-month preliminary design phase, after which one will go on to build and test two X-vehicle demonstrators, the first of which is scheduled to fly in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2005. An improved B-model UCAR is planned to fly in the third quarter of FY08, leading to transfer of the programme to the US Army at the end of FY09.
The UCAR is intended to perform armed reconnaissance and attack missions autonomously and co-operatively with manned platforms, with the ability to identify and attack targets further in front of US ground forces.
The vehicle will have operating and performance capabilities compatible with manned combat helicopters, but with a flyaway unit cost target 20-40% that of the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche and operating and support costs 50-80% lower than for the Boeing AH-64 Apache.
DARPA says technical challenges include the ability to operate autonomously and survive at low altitude alongside manned systems. The UCAR is to be controlled from existing platforms, including the Comanche and Sikorsky UH-60-based Army Airborne Command and Control System, but with human involvement limited to mission tasking and weapon-release authorisation.
DARPA is also seeking to increase target identification range by a factor of two to three over today's systems.
The UCAR will build on technology for autonomous and collaborative operation that will be demonstrated under the UCAV and UCAV-N programmes. DARPA has begun flight testing the Boeing X-45 UCAV and is scheduled to select either Boeing or Northrop Grumman later this year to build the UCAV-N demonstrator.
The US Air Force wants to have 30 UCAVs in service by 2010, while both the US Army and Navy are aiming for 2015.
Source: Flight International
