A United States military team is in the country of Belize to undertake a first-time test mission of an unmanned, super-fast, long endurance helicopter, dubbed the YMQ-18A, along with a forest radar system in the Mountain Pine Ridge area of Western Belize.
The chopper, 35 feet long and weighing over 4,000 pounds, was developed by Boeing, but has been one of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) under scores of test runs by the US military, coupled with a special radar system FORESTER, acronym for Foliage Penetration Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar, which is mounted on the aircraft.
Kelly McCarthy, political officer of the US Embassy in Belize, said that the FORESTER radar can see through densely forested environments, and is useful for law enforcement.
According to a press release from the US Embassy, it was Belize that invited the US to do the testing here.
The craft’s creator, Boeing, says of the craft: "The A160 Hummingbird Unmanned Aerial Vehicle looks like a helicopter but is unlike any other helicopter on the market today. It can reach higher altitudes, hover for longer periods of time, go greater distances and operate much more quietly than current helicopters."
According to Aviation Weekly, "A Boeing A160T Hummingbird unmanned helicopter crashed on July 28 at the company’s Victorville, Calif., test site. Boeing says the aircraft auto-rotated to the ground 1.5 mi. from its planned landing point and rolled onto its side."
The report continues: "A160Ts were grounded for three months after one crashed in December 2007 at Victorville. That incident was traced to a flight-control sensor malfunction. Boeing says it is too early to say whether the latest incident will affect flight operations."
A similar report carried by Flight Global/Flight International said: "Boeing’s two versions of the A160 have encountered several mishaps while in flight-testing in the past decade. The gas-powered version crashed three times in 36 flights, while a turbine-powered A160T A008 crashed in December 2007. The latter incident was blamed on a software error."
The tests in Belize are scheduled to run for 45 days, from early August and conclude in mid-September.
"Working closely with GoB, the U.S. concurred that Belize provides an ideal environment for this test," the release adds.
The YMQ-18A was developed as the A-160 Hummingbird. "The FORESTER, which is mounted on the unmanned helicopter, is a type of radar designed to detect man-made objects located under vegetated areas," the release adds.
The US Embassy says that members of the Belize Defense Force and 50 U.S. civilians and military personnel will participate in the testing.
Asked what use this craft would have for Belize, McCarthy said she did not want to speculate on that.
BDF commander Dario Tapia told Amandala Monday that this is the first helicopter UAV being tested in Belize. Belize military, he said, will be deployed to the forest to provide movement under the canopy to see how well the radar system works.
As to what Belize gets out of this mission, Tapia said that should Belize request US support and should the US develop this technology, the country should be able to get assistance.
"Last year, a small aircraft equipped with light detection and ranging (LIDAR) used laser signals to penetrate 80 square miles of jungle in Belize and map the ancient Mayan city of Caracol. The results yielded 3-D images detailing settlement patterns, grand architecture, roadways, and agricultural terraces," the US Embassy release concludes.