Unmanned Fire-X Achieves First Flight

The Northrop Grumman/Bell Helicopter Fire-X demonstrator achieved first flight Dec. 10 in Yuma, Ariz., just days after arriving there for flight testing, according to officials on the program team.

This is a major step toward the two teammates entering the evolving and potentially lucrative market of unmanned rotorcraft for cargo carriage or intelligence collection. Northrop approached Bell and crafted the jointly funded project in early 2010 with the goal of flying within a year.

“From initial concept to flying a prototype was extremely quick,” says Cathy Ferrie, director of Bell’s Xworx rapid prototyping division.

The aircraft, which also retains the ability to be piloted, was ferried to Yuma two weeks ago from Bell’s Xworx facility in Arlington, Texas, says Charles Shepard, director of technology business development for the rapid prototyping unit.

The Fire-X demonstrator, built on the commercial Bell 407 platform, was modified at Xworx with computers, actuators and other systems from prime contractor Northrop’s MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. “Our philosophy was to be minimally invasive,” says Bob Davis, Northrop’s director of business development for air and land advanced concepts. “The physical elements of the aircraft between the cyclic and flight control surfaces have to be removed for it to be piloted,” he adds.

Following its arrival in Yuma days ago, the linkages were removed –—thus “demanning” the aircraft — and electric actuators connected up for unmanned flight.

The initial flight was intended to test the vehicle management system’s flight control software which was previously only ground tested in Northrop’s Rancho Bernardo simulation facility in California.

Initial flight test objectives covered basic handling qualities and safety-of-flight assessments. “We want to demonstrate that we have not changed the handling qualities and that it can be flown safely and reliably, Davis says. “Over time we will develop a reliability database and understand what the nuances will be.”

The flight test plan will cover “a handful of flights” by year end, and “we will do limited unmanned aircraft systems demonstrations, but not using the external sling load. We will just be carrying cargo in the cabin,” he adds.

In commercial service the Bell 407 platform has an internal volume of 85 cu. ft. in the aft cabin — a volume essentially unchanged in the unmanned modification. In its civilian utility role the 407 has a useful load of almost 2,600 lb. and a maximum external (hook) load limit of 2,646 lb.

The Fire-X flight occurred too late to capture the interest of the U.S. Marine Corps, which recently issued contracts to unmanned rotorcraft competitors Boeing and Lockheed Martin/Kaman for demonstrations of their systems in Afghanistan. Boeing’s A160T Hummingbird and the Lockheed Martin/Kaman K-Max,will be used to provide small supply loads to forward-based Marines there.

John Garrison, Bell CEO, says that the first flight is a major step toward proving the capability of the Fire-X configuration, a requirement for possibly garnering a similar demonstration sponsored by the Pentagon.