Boeing A160T Robot Whispercopter

Boeing: Black's the New Black For Black-Helicopter Projects. A160T Robot Whispercopter In DARPA Man-Sniffer Tests.

Boeing has revealed plans for its unmanned whisper-mode stealth helicopter, the A160T.

Boeing announced that the A160T - intended for service with a variety of secretive US government organisations - would soon adopt a new colour scheme.

Just did a google search for more info on the A160T Whispercopter.
Only 7 hits and all related to my source above. Also wiki had nothing.
Anybody know anything else about this new robo-copter?


The A160T Whispercopter aka Hummingbird.

[edit on (4/4/08) by AllSeeingI]

A little more info.

This aircraft will be shown at the Farnborough airshow in the UK.
"Forester" foliage-penetrating radar, designed to peer beneath jungle canopies and other woodsy top cover to track individuals walking around on foot, will fly aboard the A160T.

"A160T has the ability to carry various quite heavy payloads, perhaps including deadly assassination or kidnap teams from the various shy and retiring super-trooper formations of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The lack of any pilots would remove the need for nonexistent Team-Six*, Delta or Activity operatives to eliminate or otherwise silence potentially loose-lipped stickjockeys following missions deemed retrospectively never to have occurred. "

I thought SOCOM was "Southern Command". When I was in Panama in the early 90's (I just seriously dated myself), I was under SOCOM. Maybe it was just an Army thing.

On another note: You mean we can actually search for Bigfoot now? How cool.

here's a vid for your viewing pleasure. does anyone else think that this seems a tad ... well, erm "tiny" to carry "...various quite heavy payloads, perhaps including deadly assassination or kidnap teams "?

www.defenseindustrydaily.com...

Max payload mentioned at 1000 lbs. So yeah, seems a bit "Tiny" for the things suggested earlier. The article also mentions, however, that the a160T is a technology demonstrator. That usually would imply they are simply testing the related technology for application to different (larger?) craft.

Is this project the reason the Comanche was cancelled?


I remmeber the argumenty for cancelling it was that UCAV's could perform reconassaince tasks better

Looks like a development from the X-50.

It's definitely able to be upscaled to perform the tasks mentioned above.

Shattered OUT...

These should work pretty well with recording creatures etc as well as any other tasks. But how long would it have in flight? And how much do you think it will cost?

Deny ignorance

Semoro

Originally posted by Semoro
These should work pretty well with recording creatures etc as well as any other tasks. But how long would it have in flight? And how much do you think it will cost?

Deny ignorance

Semoro

I've seen endurance mentioned as 16-24 hrs. I've also seen 40hrs, which seems to me a stretch. No word on project or unit cost that I've seen.

Thanks. 16 hours would be fine for a search for some creatures (Eg The amazon) Can it be outfitted?

Deny Ignorance

Semoro

I believe they are trying to make the payload modular so it can carry surveillance, target acquisition and communication/data relay. I've also seen a few pictures with it armed. So I'd guess they could load it in almost any imaginable configuration.

That would be a deadly enemy on the battlefield. The first of many crafts unmanned fighting our wars. What were the weapons that it was armed with? I'd definetly like to see the dillon gatling gun.

Deny ignorance

Semoro

I believe the photo was a Boeing mock up armed with Hellfire anti-tank missles, but the picture eludes me right now and I may be mistaken. The first firing of a missle from a UAV (actually RPV designation at the time) was in 1971 or early '72. A AGM-65 was launched from a Teledyne-Ryan RPV. It also demonstrated the ability to carry HOBO and fly itself into a target if neccessary. Israel was the first to use a armed UAV in combat, I believe.
Today the Predator carries ordinance regularly and uses them almost as often. I'm sure I can dig up some sources if you'd like. So the Hummingbird wouldn't be the first, but the latest in a line of unmanned aircraft fighting our wars.

Please share! Hmm makes you wonder if we'll have some terrarists waiting to be extracted by a chopper and then out of no where the heli comes up silently and kills them all. This Heli could be very very dangerous in the wrong hands but also very sucessful in the right.

Deny ignorance

Semoro

Straight from today's headlines, if you will:
www.af.mil...

An Air Force MQ-1B Predator fired a hellfire missile onto an enemy combatant in the vicinity of Basrah. The mission was reported as successful by the JTAC.

All you have to do is put Reaper UAV into a search to find more articles (Predator B was renamed after being fielded).

Thank you very much _Del_! If no one already has, Welcome to ATS! There should be everything you need on this fantastic site! Enjoy your stay

Deny Ignorance

Semoro

Another milestone reached:

Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird unmanned rotorcraft flew for 18.7 hours on an overnight flight May 14-15, setting what the company believes is a world endurance record for a UAV in its weight class.

AW ST


[edit on 24-5-2008 by _Del_]

where did you come up with "robot whispercopter" that's so gay!
too much time in front of the monitor.
look up aviation week magazine (A160t) was on the cover.
even the 8 hellfire missiles are included in the article.
now you don't have to speculate!

According to Jane's, delivery to SOCOM is already underway with 10 to be delivered by November.

New news

The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) secret military forces are receiving their first robotic whisper-mode helicopters, according to reports. The plan is for the you-never-saw-us-we-aren't-even-here brigade to receive a ten-strong fleet of Boeing A160T "Hummingbird" droid kill-choppers, under an extended demonstration programme.

I'm thinking they should make it a bit larger if they're going to go ahead with this.

There may even be an option for the crewless chopper to carry passengers, perhaps wounded operatives or shot-down aviators in need of urgent evacuation.

EDIT: D'oh. forgot the link

The Register

[edit on 11.12.08 by toreishi]