A new, hi-tech pilotless helicopter design could become the US Marines' technology of choice for transporting supplies into combat zones.

Military operations need an effective infrastructure around them as a means of support. Cargo aircraft, therefore, play a vital role, and while computers have done much to assist ground-based logistics, they're also now powering unmanned cargo aircraft. The US Marines have expressed a requirement for pilotless UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) as a means of supplies provision, replacing the often dangerous task of transporting them by road where food and medical convoys can be at risk of attack.

Boeing A160T Hummingbird

They has therefore set up an Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Demonstration Program, which US aerospace and defence firm Boeing has responded to by putting forward its A160T Hummingbird design.

The A160T is capable of carrying weights of up to 2,500 pounds. Its rotor technology embodies a revolutionary, energy-efficient design in which the speed at which the rotor blades rotate varies in accordance with the helicopter's height, speed or weight. It actually first flew seven years ago, and has since set a world endurance record, having spent over 18 hours aloft on a single sortie.

The majority of the A160T's flight control systems are self-serving. In other words, while UAVs are traditionally controlled by operators at ground level, this technology can pretty much control its own flight path in line with the mission profile.

"The Marines have identified an urgent need for unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver supplies in lieu of putting trucks and personnel on dangerous roads", programme manager for the A160T at Boeing, John Groenenboom, explained.

"The A160T was designed from inception as a UAS with significant payload-carrying and high-altitude-operation capabilities, so we are confident in its ability to meet the requirements of this critical mission."

It is anticipated that the winner of the US Marines contract will be announced next month.
In the interim, in order to highlight the A160T's capabilities and suitability for the role, it will be put through a series of trials, including carrying a 2,500 pound load in between two bases in under six hours for three days running.

The image accompanying this News Item is not of the actual technology.