Starting in July of 2012, the usa Army will deploy three Boeing A160 Hummingbird drones to Afghanistan as component to a one-year trial program. Unlike the Predator drones already in combat, the A160 is a rotor-based aircraft able to vertical take-offs and landings. What’s more, the craft would be affixed with the DARPA-developed ARGUS-IS imaging system — which boasts a 1.8 gigapixel camera the military says can “track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet.” The A160 Hummingbird platform will provide the military with the facility and versatility to: take off and land with no runway; fly for twelve hours or more without refueling; and monitor as much as 65 enemies of the State simultaneously. Test flights of the unmanned chopper are scheduled for early 2012 in Arizona, but residents hoping to get a glimpse of the A160 in action best have great eyesight — the ARGUS-IS system can see targets from almost 25-miles down range. Oh, and do not forget to grin should you lookup. You have to look your best for the attention within the sky, right?
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