ARGUS goes back to DARPA while new aerial platform is sought

Following serious technical difficulties, the US Army has stopped work on the Boeing A160 Hummingbird vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), and sent back to researchers the Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System (ARGUS-IS) that the UASs were supposed to carry.

The aircraft and the sensors were to deploy to Afghanistan as a 'Quick Reaction Capability' in June 2012, but instead all ARGUS-related spares are being transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) following a slew of incidents with the A160 that was to host it. The A160 and ARGUS efforts both originated at DARPA.

"The services are currently evaluating options to integrate ARGUS-IS on the other aircraft and airships," Fred Schnarre, a program manager in DARPA's Information Innovation Office, said. "To date we've tested on the YEH-60 Black Hawk, A160 Hummingbird, the DHC-8, and the Proteus manned aircraft."

Testing issues with the A160 VTOL aircraft included a crash at Victorville in July 2010 caused by a flight-control sensor failure; one Belize in September 2010 during a FORESTER (foliage penetrating reconnaissance, surveillance, tracking and engagement radar) test flight; and another at Victorville in April 2012 during an ARGUS calibration test flight.