Boeing AH - 6 The Boeing AH - 6 is a series of light helicopter gunship s based on the MH - 6 Little Bird and MD 500 family . Developed by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems , these include the Unmanned Little Bird ( ULB ) demonstrator , the A / MH - 6X Mission Enhanced Little Bird ( MELB ) , and the proposed AH - 6I and AH - 6S . Design and development . The Unmanned Little Bird demonstrator , which Boeing built from a civilian MD 530F , first flew on September 8 , 2004 , and made its first autonomous flight ( with safety pilot ) on October 16 , 2004 . In April 2006 , Boeing used the ULB to demonstrate the ability of another helicopter , in this case an AH - 64 Apache to remotely control the ULB ' s weapons payload as a part of Boeing ' s Airborne Manned / Unmanned System Technology Demonstration ( AMUST - D ) program . For the initial test , the Apache Longbow was on the ground , while the ULB was airborne several miles away and Hellfire missiles were fired from the ULB by a tester sitting at the co - pilot ' s station in the Apache . Both aircraft are equipped with tactical common data link equipment and technologies manufactured by L - 3 Communications . The ULB Demonstrator first flew in the unmanned mode on June 30 , 2006 from the United States Army ' s Yuma Proving Ground , flying a pre - programmed 20 - minute armed intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance mission around the facility . All previous flights during the 450 flight hour engineering development phase had a safety pilot on board , although the aircraft was typically flown remotely from the ground . With the successes of the ULB , Boeing incorporated its technologies into an A / MH - 6 , designating it the A / MH - 6X . On September 20 , 2006 , the first A / MH - 6X lifted off on its maiden flight from Boeing Rotorcraft Systems ' Mesa , Arizona facility with a pilot on board . While the ULB Demonstrator had a payload of 2 , 400 pounds , the MELB has an additional 1 , 000 pounds payload capacity . The A / MH - 6X is similar to the A / MH - 6M , but includes a prototype glass cockpit and a number of upgrades to the electronics and avionics . The A / MH - 6X is an optionally manned or unmanned aircraft which is a hybrid of the ULB demonstrator and the A / MH - 6M mission - enhanced Little Bird which is used by US Army Special Operations Command . Boeing funded the development program itself ; it intends to market the aircraft for both military and homeland security roles within the U . S . and internationally . The aircraft is estimated to cost US $ 2 million . The systems related to the unmanned flight capabilities have also been designed to be able to be installed in any other helicopter as well , including the Apache . An Unmanned Little Bird performed a fully autonomous flight in June 2010 , including avoiding obstacles using LIDAR . In 2009 , it was reported that Boeing was working on the " AH - 6S Phoenix " for the US Army ' s restarted ARH program , named Armed Aerial Scout . The AH - 6S design is stretched by to allow room for other ARH crew shot down in combat to be recovered . The aircraft also would feature an extended aerodynamic nose to house avionics hardware . AH - 6S cockpit and main rotor composite blades are to be based the AH - 64D Block III . The AH - 6S will have an improved tail rotor and more powerful Rolls - Royce 250 - CE30 engine . The AH - 6i is the export version of the AH - 6S . The AH - 6i first flew on September 16 , 2009 . Jordan has expressed interest in ordering the AH - 6i in May 2010 . In October 2010 Saudi Arabia requested 36 AH - 6i aircraft with related equipment and weapons from the United States through a Foreign Military Sale . Kaman Corporation is developing a retrofittable graphite epoxy rotorblade for the AH - 6 . In summer 2011 , an H - 6U performed autonomous landings on a moving truck bed for French companies Thales and DCNS for France ' s General Directorate for Armament , in preparation for sea trials on a French frigate in 2012 . In October 2012 , the AH - 6i completed a flight demonstration for the U . S . Army in anticipation of the Armed Aerial Scout program . While the AH - 6i is aimed at international customers , Boeing intends to offer it for the program . In December 2012 , Boeing demonstrated the Unmanned Little Bird version of the AH - 6 to the South Korean Army . The aircraft flew autonomously for 25 minutes to demonstrate the unmanned system ' s capabilities that can be integrated into Army MD 500 Defender helicopters . In September 2013 , Aurora Flight Sciences and Boeing offered the H - 6U Little Bird for the U . S . Marine Corps unmanned lift / ISR capability competition . Boeing , working as a subcontractor , is flying the Little Bird without human input near Manassas , Virginia , but with a pilot on board to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations . The Little Bird has an endurance of 12 hours and carries a maximum mission payload of . The H - 6U is competing against the unmanned Kaman K - MAX , which has a usable external payload of and has been used in theater to resupply Marines . Evaluations are to begin in February 2014 at Marine Corps Base Quantico .