The Boeing Co. (St. Louis, Mo.) reports that it received a $500,000 (USD) contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory on Aug. 5 to demonstrate the company’s A160T Hummingbird for the Marines’ Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System Demonstration Program. The autonomous unmanned aircraft, measuring 35-ft/10.7m long with a 36-ft/11m rotor diameter, has hovered at altitudes as high as 20,000 ft (6,096m) and has cruised at more than 140 knots. The A160T also established a world endurance record in its class in 2008 with an 18.7-hour unrefueled flight. In flights that will take place by February 2010, Boeing will demonstrate that the A160T can deliver at least 2,500 lb/1,134 kg of cargo from one simulated forward-operating base to another in fewer than six hours per day for three consecutive days. The Marines are studying the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in lieu of trucks and personnel to deliver supplies.

The Marines also awarded a similar contract to Kaman Aerospace Corp. (Owego, N.Y.), which has teamed with Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Md.) to form Team K-MAX. The group will demonstrate the ability of the Unmanned K-MAX helicopter to deliver cargo to troops in extreme environments and at high altitudes, to meet the Marines’ objective of moving 20,000 lb/9,072 kg of cargo in a 24-hour period. Such capability would support rapid deployments to Afghanistan by resupplying troops with provisions and materials at forward operating bases. The demonstration is scheduled for late 2009.

“This award is an important first step for Team K-MAX as both companies move forward to provide the Unmanned K-MAX to the warfighter,” said Sal Bordonaro, president, Kaman Helicopters Division. “The demonstration to the Marine Corps will verify the capabilities of the Unmanned K-MAX to deliver external loads in hot ambient conditions at high altitudes.”

Designed and built for repetitive lift operations in severe environments, the 5,100-lb/2,313-kg K-MAX helicopter can lift 6,000 lb/2,722 kg — more than its own weight — at sea level. Lift performance is derived from the aircraft’s counter-rotating intermeshing rotor design that eliminates the need for a tail rotor. Operated by the logging and construction industries for its high reliability and low flight and maintenance costs, the manned K-MAX fleet has accumulated more than 244,000 flight hours since 1994.

In a related announcement, Boeing and Schiebel Industries AG (Vienna, Austria) announced Aug. 11 that they have agreed to jointly pursue marketing and support opportunities for Schiebel’s S-100 CAMCOPTER. The S-100 is a compact unmanned rotorcraft that provides a platform for a wide variety of payloads, including a stabilized video system for surveillance and reconnaissance. The aircraft can be programmed to fly autonomous missions via a point-and-click computer software interface, or can be directed manually via joystick. It also can operate beyond line-of-sight on land and at sea. Its data link range extends up to 200 km/124 miles.