Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System

The Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS) was an experimental robotic weapons system that was in development by the U.S. Army since 2005,^[1] but no information about the status of the system has been made public since 2010.

The ARSS consisted of a remotely operated sniper rifle attached to an unmanned autonomous helicopter.^[2] It was intended for use in urban combat or for several other missions requiring snipers.^[3] Flight tests were scheduled to begin in Summer 2009.^[1]

The rifle, a semiautomatic RND Manufacturing Edge 2000 firing the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, was mounted on a stabilized platform, which was attached to the underside of a Vigilante 502 UAV.^[2] The helicopter was to be flown by an autopilot while a human controller aims and fires the rifle, which may fire up to ten well-aimed shots per minute.^[2] The rifle platform, called the Precision Weapons Platform (PWP), was designed by Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory and was equipped with a situational awareness camera and a two-level zoom scope.^[4]

The system as a whole was being developed under the Army's Aviation Applied Technology Directorate in the course of its Aerial Delivery of Effects from Lightweight Aircraft (ADELA) program.^[4]^[5] It used much commercial off–the–shelf hardware to reduce cost and development time. For instance, the system was controlled using an Xbox 360 video game controller.^[2]

Other weapons considered for use with the ARSS included the M249 or M240 machine guns, the AA-12 shotgun or non-lethal weapons. The ARSS hardware could also be installed on fixed-wing UAVs or ground combat robots.^[2] The Lockheed Martin One Shot sniper system was being considered for addition to ARSS.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Page, Lewis (21 April 2009). "Flying-rifle robocopter: Hovering sniper backup for US troops". The Register. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hambling, David (May 2009). "UAV Helicopter Brings Finesse to Airstrikes". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
^ Hambling, David (April 21, 2009). "Army Tests Flying Robo-Sniper". Wired, "Danger Room" blog. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
^ ^a ^b "ARSS - Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System". Space Dynamics Laboratory. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
^ "U.S. Army Tests Flying Robot Sniper". Fox News. 2009-04-22. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
^ McHale, John. Laser-based sniper system ordered by DARPA from Lockheed Martin Military AeroSpace 18 December 2010. Accessed: 19 February 2011.