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Army Testing Sniper Drone Chopper for Use Against Somali Pirates

by Caleb Johnson on April 22, 2010 at 08:20 AM

According to Wired, a new U.S. Army aircraft takes the best elements of helicopters, drones and snipers, and wraps them into one package. Dubbed the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS), it's an unmanned Vigilante helicopter with a high-powered sniper rifle mounted onto a highly stabilized turret.

Originally, the ARSS was designed for urban warfare, since it can hover down small streets and snipe targets in tight spaces. But now, the Army sees potential for using the aircraft when dealing with Somali pirates. It'd be similar to the chopper drone the Navy uses to bust drug runners, but for the fact that the ARSS could fire precision shots with .3338-caliber rounds onto a ship. Rather than have a human hanging out of a swaying helicopter and trying to hit a target, the drone would do all the work while an operator controlled it from the ground with a video game-like controller.

Not only will the ARSS save some lives by keeping more servicemen on the ground, but it's also a much cheaper way to battle pirates. A Vigilante chopper is much lighter, uses less fuel than larger helicopters and its rounds are less expensive, meaning the Army could get more snipers off the ground and patrolling the seas. [From: Wired]

Tags: aircraft, army, drone, helicopter, military, navy, robot, top, weapons

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