Combat Aviation New attitudes about UAVs shape Army's scout helicopter program

摘要

The Army has tried unsuccessfully for decades to build a new scout helicopter to replace the aging Kiowa Warrior. After canceling two multibillion-dollar helicopter programs, the Army has decided that a conventional rotorcraft is no longer the answer.rnThe latest plan to replace the Kiowa would involve a mix of new helicopters and unmanned air vehicles. Officials now believe that a manned-unmanned fleet can perform the scout mission more effectively than piloted aircraft alone.rn"What you're seeing in the Army is a new mindset" about unmanned aviation and an appreciation of what it can do, said Tim Owings, the Army's deputy project manager for unmanned aircraft systems.