Army weighs future of unmanned helicopters.

• Author: Wright, Austin
• Position: Unmanned Technology

* The Army's recent cancellation of the Fire Scout remotely piloted helicopter has left some wondering whether there is a future for unmanned vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft in the service.

Possibly, said Tim Owings, deputy project manager for Army unmanned aircraft systems, but only for niche missions.

"When I talk about niche missions--a very special capability--that's where I think the vertical-lift component will have added value," he told National Defense. "But the vast majority of our [unmanned] needs are still on the fixed-wing side."

The Army had planned to develop two unmanned vertical-lift aircraft as part of its long-term modernization program, the Future Combat Systems. The service terminated the Class IV UAV, also known as the Fire Scout, in January. Army officials decided that the UAV no longer met mission requirements, said Paul Mehney, a spokesman for the Army's program executive office integration.

That leaves the Army with only one surviving unmanned VTOL aircraft, the Class I UAV, which has survived the post-FCS cutbacks.

Class I is a micro-air vehicle intended to provide situational awareness for small units. Mehney said the Army is considering building an enhanced Class I UAV that could take on some of the missions that had been intended for the Fire Scout. The Class I UAV will be fielded to nine combat brigades from 2011 to 2013, Mehney said. The brigades will test the 51-pound aircraft, which the Army plans to put in the hands of all brigade combat teams by 2025.

Owings said small vertical-lift UAVs fill an important role because of their ability to "drop down, look at roadside bombs and look inside of vehicles at check points."

"We don't look at fixed wing or rotary wing," he added. "We look at missions, and we look at solutions to mission needs."

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In the long term, it's also possible the Army's replacement for another cancelled program, the armed reconnaissance helicopter, will be at least in part an unmanned platform, Owings said. The Army has been trying for years to develop a new reconnaissance helicopter, but previous plans have crumbled because of cost overruns.

Col. Ronald F. Lewis, commander of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, said the service now expects its existing fleet of Kiowa helicopters to continue operating until at least 2025. Army officials are currently sending information requests to industry that seek proposals for a replacement to the Kiowa, a single-engine...