U.S. Army May Start $1 Billion Helicopter Drone Project in 2012
The U.S. Army is proceeding with development of a minimum $1 billion program to buy at least 100 unmanned helicopters, an official said.
The service plans to award two initial contracts valued at between $100 million and $125 million each as part of a competition slated to start sometime after Jan. 1, 2012, according to Tim Owings, deputy project manager for the Army’s unmanned aircraft systems.
“We are moving forward with that program,” Owings said, referring to the vertical takeoff and landing, or VTOL, unmanned aerial vehicle program. Owings spoke today at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington.
He said eight companies responded to the Army’s request for information, including Chicago-based Boeing Co. (BA), whose A160 Hummingbird helicopter drone was on display in the exhibit hall.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brendan McGarry in Washington bmcgarry2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
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