Boeing's Little Bird flys high by remote control

[seemslikeadream]

By Adam Kress
The Business Journal of Phoenix
Updated: 7:00 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2005


The Unmanned Little Bird is a modified MD 530F helicopter that's been in military service for 30 years. The small, agile aircraft is similar to those used by police departments around the globe.

Boeing has tested the helicopter for more than 100 hours during the past few months, with promising results. While Boeing has been sending up a pilot with the aircraft for each flight, the Little Bird normally is flown remotely from the ground with the pilot simply along for the ride.

...

The Apaches dominate Boeing's Mesa production facility, but the relatively inexpensive Little Birds (at about $2 million apiece with half the cost coming from sensor technology) could be on the assembly line in Mesa by the close of 2005. Boeing would fit the UAV kit onto existing aircraft.

Dino Cerchie, program manager on the Unmanned Little Bird project, said he's confident the U.S. military will be interested in the newly retooled aircraft for a number of reasons.

...


"Small UAVs provide extended visual range to increase situational awareness of the local area, rather than putting foot patrols into high-threat areas," he said. "UAVs with weapons provide a tactical commander the ability to respond immediately to high-value targets without waiting for strike assets to appear."

...


Battelle Senior Researcher Jules Duga said the DOD will continue to be interested in UAV technology, particularly because of conflicts the U.S. military is currently engaged in.

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