Boeing A160 Hummingbird
Boeing · United States · first flew 2002 · helicopter
The Boeing A160 Hummingbird (military designation YMQ-18A) was an unmanned helicopter designed for long endurance and high altitude.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, rotary |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 10.7 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Unmanned helicopter with a single hingeless main rotor of 11 m diameter
- Main rotor speed varied between 140 and 350 rpm through a two-speed transmission
- Rotor blades whose stiffness and cross-section vary along their length
A slender, unmanned helicopter about 10.7 m long with a slow-turning rotor of 11 m diameter. The variable rotor speed lets it fly on less power than conventional helicopters.
Specifications
- The Boeing A160 Hummingbird has a length of 10.7 m (35 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11 m (36 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 258 km/h (160 mph).
- Typical crew: 0.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Development was begun for DARPA by Frontier Aircraft in 1998, and the Hummingbird first flew in January 2002 with a Subaru automotive engine. Boeing acquired the company in May 2004. The US Army abandoned the project in December 2012.
Variants
Early aircraft used piston engines. The A160T, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207D turboshaft, first flew on 15 June 2007.
Where you'll see it
It remained a development aircraft. The A160T flew 8 hours with a 1,000 lb payload in September 2007, and in May 2008 an 18.7-hour flight earned an FAI endurance record.
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