Boeing A160 Hummingbird The Boeing A160 Hummingbird ( military designation : YMQ - 18A ) is an unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ) helicopter . Its design incorporates many new technologies never before used in helicopters , allowing for greater endurance and altitude than any helicopter currently in operation . The development of Hummingbird was begun by Frontier Aircraft . In May 2004 , the company was acquired by Boeing and integrated into Boeing Phantom Works and then into the Advanced Systems group of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems . Early A160s were powered by modified Subaru automotive engines , but newer versions use Pratt & Whitney PW207D turboshaft engines . The A160 continued with developmental flight tests in 2010 , but test flights have already demonstrated greater endurance , higher altitudes , more extensive autonomy , and greater payload . The program has ambitious goals of a range , 24 - hour endurance , and altitude . Flights are largely autonomous , with the aircraft making its own decisions about how to fly itself so as to meet certain objectives , rather than relying on real - time human control . Maximum speeds are over 140 knots . The aircraft is from nose to tail and has a rotor diameter of . Design and development . Maverick and Renegade UAVs . During the initial development of the A160 airframe and rotor system in 1999 - 2000 , Frontier Systems simultaneously designed the " Maverick " VTOL UAV as a testbed for avionics , software and flight control systems . The Maverick was a highly modified version of the Robinson R22 light civilian helicopter . By using a proven helicopter airframe , engineers were able to focus on developing systems that could be later transferred to the A160 . The Maverick program began in 1998 , and the first flight took place less than a year later in 1999 . Although the R22 is a two - seat manned helicopter in its original configuration , the Maverick was significant for never using a " safety pilot " ( a human pilot riding on board and capable of recovering the aircraft in the event of a failure of the unmanned flight control system ) . Even its very first flight was truly unmanned . Since much of the software and avionics systems were shared between Maverick and A160 , Maverick remained in service long after A160 began flight operations . After acquiring Frontier Systems in 2004 , Boeing halted most development of Maverick , but it continued flying as a training asset and for reducing risk in technology development for the A160 . Four Mavericks are flown by the US Navy , carrying Wescam Electro - Optical / Infrared sensor system , possibly among other sensors . Since being acquired by the military , most Maverick operations have remained unpublicized . March 2006 saw the completion of the Software Enabled Control program sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ) . With the help of researchers from UC Berkeley , MIT , and Georgia Tech , Boeing developed a variant of its Maverick UAV platform , which became known as the " Renegade " UAV . This aircraft successfully performed various maneuvers and flew routes without real - time human input . A160 . The development program for the A160 began when DARPA awarded a 30 - month technology demonstration contract to San Diego - based Frontier Systems in March 1998 . In June 1999 , Frontier tested the autonomous flight control system with the Maverick - A , a modified lightweight Robinson R - 22 helicopter . This test bed was lost during an accident in 2000 , after having flown for 215 hours . The first prototype , a three - bladed A160 , demonstrated a brief hover on December 7 , 2001 and performed its first forward flight on January 29 , 2002 . A four - blade version of the A160 flew in November 2002 using a Subaru four - cylinder engine . Frontier Systems was awarded a contract for four more A160s in October 2003 . A total of three vehicles were produced by Frontier Systems . Vehicles 1 and 3 were lost in crashes . Frontier began a planned KW600 diesel engine for the vehicle , but never completed it . A diesel engine would have nearly doubled the vehicle endurance due to lower fuel consumption . Frontier Aircraft , and then Boeing , have carried out the A160 program as part of a series of contracts with DARPA , the US Army , and the US Navy from 2003 . In September 2003 , DARPA awarded Frontier a $ 75 million contract for the design , development and testing of four A160s . In May 2004 , the U . S . Army Communications - Electronics Command awarded Syracuse Research Corp . a $ 13 . 3 million contract for the ultra high frequency , foliage penetrating , real - time moving target indicator / synthetic aperture radar for use in the A160 . The A160 ' s rotor includes blades whose stiffness and cross - section vary along their length . Their low loading and rigid , hingeless design allows for changing RPM between 140 to 350 ( not just blade pitch as in conventional helicopters ) to optimize efficiency at different speeds and altitudes . It is primarily because of these features that the Hummingbird can fly with less power - and thus use less fuel - than comparable helicopters . In August 2005 , Frontier Systems - by then a Boeing subsidiary - received a $ 50 million contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division " to assess the military utility and affordability of a long - range VTOL UAV employing a wide variety of adaptable payloads " . In October 2007 , DARPA awarded Boeing a $ 6 . 3 million contract to deliver an A160T aircraft and modified pod for the Autonomous Real - time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance - Imaging System ( ARGUS - IS ) program . Operational history . Flight testing . The Hummingbird made its first flight in January 2002 , using a 4 - cylinder Subaru engine . On September 20 , 2004 , the Hummingbird made its first flight since Boeing took over the program the previous May . The test program has been operated from the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville , California . In August 2005 , the Hummingbird was flown around Victorville in a 1 , 200 - mile course at 60 knots and 4000 feet . This was one of the longest helicopter flights . A mechanical failure caused the helicopter to crash near the end of the flight . Flight testing continued some months later after the crash investigation was concluded . On November 30 , 2005 , the aircraft successfully completed its first flight with a new 290 kW ( 390 hp ) 6 - cylinder gasoline - powered piston engine , hovering about the airfield for about half an hour . A follow - up turboshaft - powered version , the A160T , was first flown on June 15 , 2007 . The A160T was flown for 8 hours while carrying a 1 , 000 - pound payload on September 27 , 2007 . The aircraft flew for 12 hours while carrying a 500 - pound payload , simulating a multi - sensor military recon mission on October 12 . This latter flight used up less than 60 % of the Hummingbird ' s maximum fuel load . On December 10 , 2007 , one of the A160T prototypes crashed during a flight test at Boeing Advanced Systems ' test facility in Victorville . A Boeing investigation determined the incident was caused when sensor data stopped being updated to the flight computer . With the feedback loop for the control system effectively cut , the helicopter " departed controlled flight and impacted the ground at a near - vertical angle . " Much of the forensic evidence was burned in the post - crash fire . A number of potential areas that could have caused the software feedback update thread to stop were found , and those known problem areas have been addressed . Flight testing resumed on March 26 , 2008 . On May 9 , 2008 , at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona , the A160T demonstrated its ability to hover out of ground effect ( HOGE ) at 15 , 000 feet to meet its DARPA milestone . It then surpassed the milestone during the same flight by repeating the HOGE at 20 , 000 feet altitude . A week later , starting the night of May 14 , the A160T demonstrated its un - refueled endurance capabilities with an 18 . 7 - hour flight , landing with over 90 minutes of fuel still on board . It was the longest un - refueled flight of any rotorcraft , and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ( FAI ) awarded Boeing the official endurance record in the 500 kg to 2 , 500 kg autonomously controlled UAV class for the flight . In August 2008 , the A160T began flight testing the DARPA FORESTER radar system . In August 2009 , the A160T was chosen by the US Marine Corps along with the Kaman K - MAX to demonstrate the ability to move 6 , 000 lb ( 2 , 722 kg ) of cargo in less than 6 hours for three consecutive days . The A160T successfully completed the re - supply demonstration in early March 2010 . In December 2010 , NAVAIR awarded a $ 29 . 9 million contract to Boeing for two A160Ts and control systems . Kaman received a similar contract worth $ 46M . The K - MAX was eventually chosen over the A160T for the unmanned resupply role by the Marines , and was sent to Afghanistan in 2011 . On July 28 , 2010 an A160T crashed at Southern California Logistics Airport . It autorotated to the ground then rolled on its side . In August 2010 , the A160T underwent jungle test flights in Belize . Two airframes were involved with the tests which were to test the ability of DARPA FORESTER foliage - penetrating radar to penetrate jungle cover . The tests were stopped one week early when one aircraft crashed on September 4 , 2010 at the Central Farm airfield in Cayo , Belize . U . S . Army cancellation . The A160 was to be deployed to Afghanistan with the ARGUS - IS radar in June 2012 . But just before deployment , the Army issued a stop - work order to Boeing because the aircraft had a high " probability of continued technical and schedule delays , " and costs and risks had " increased so significantly that program continuation was no longer in the best interest of the government . " The stop - work order left the A - 160 still officially developmental , but close to termination . By December 2012 , the Army Training and Doctrine Command had reviewed the Army ' s idea for a vertical take - off and landing helicopter UAV for ISR missions and decided that , because of budget constraints , they would not continue to pursue the idea . They decided that the Army would have to keep using the fixed - wing UAVs they already had for the role .