GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Development contracts due by mid-year, rotorcraft X-vehicle demonstrator set to take to air in 2005
Bidders are lining up for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) unmanned combat armed rotorcraft (UCAR) technology demonstration programme, with the award of up to four 12-month concept development contracts expected by mid-year. The UCAR is intended to operate autonomously alongside the US Army's manned attack helicopters.
The project is modelled on DARPA's unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) programmes for the US Air Force and Navy. Winning Phase 1 bidders will develop a concept for the operational UCAR system.
Two teams will be selected in mid-2003 to begin design of the demonstrator system and in early 2004 one will be picked to build and test two X-vehicle demonstrators. First flight is planned for third quarter 2005. A third, B-model demonstrator incorporating lessons learned, is to fly in mid-2008 and the UCAR programme is scheduled to be moved to the US Army at the end of fiscal year 2009.
Potential bidders include Bell, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Sikorsky. The UCAR is intended to have performance and operating characteristics compatible with manned helicopters, be capable of autonomous low-level flight and provide stand-off target identification at two to three times current ranges.
Affordability goals are a flyaway cost 20-40% of the Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche and 50-80% lower operating costs than the Boeing AH-64 Apache. DARPA says the aggressive goals for system performance will require "innovative applications of technology".
Boeing Unmanned Systems president Mike Heinz says the UCAR configuration has yet to be decided. "Phase 1 is about understanding the requirement. We will start with a clean sheet of paper and end up with some definition of what the system could look like." Boeing plans to promote system commonality between the UCAR, its X-45 UCAV-AF for the air force and its proposed naval UCAV-N.
The first of two X-45A demonstrators is due to fly by mid-year. Multi-vehicle operations are planned for 2003-4, leading to joint exercises with manned aircraft in 2005-6. Alarger X-45B is expected to fly in 2004-5, leading the way to development of the initial Block 10 operational UCAV-AF. The USAF wants 14 vehicles for operational evaluation in 2007-8, when the USN plans to begin development of its UCAV-N. Northrop Grumman, competing with Boeing to demonstrate the UCAV-N in 2005, is preparing its company-funded X-47A Pegasus UCAV for first flight by mid-year. It is proposing a larger X-47B for the UCAV-N demonstration.
Source: Flight International
