Last week we told you about tests being performed on the so called spy chopper at the airstrip at central Farm. Well, a release form the US embassy today announces that since August 1st, the US military in partnership with the BDF have been conducting a series of ground evaluations of the helicopter before its first flight. While the engineers prepare the aircraft for its first flight, U.S. military and BDF personnel will mark certain jungle areas for the Forester's radar evaluation. The helicopter is able to fly under remote control or under its own pre-programmed control, and can also be armed, capable of carrying eight One hundred pound missiles.
In countries like Afghanistan, the unmanned helicopter will be used to patrol roads at night looking for roadside bombs or people planting them. The evaluation of the YMQ-18A in Belize is expected to last a little over a month and a half.
The Forester as it is dubbed went into development back in 1998 as part of a U.S. Department of Defense effort to create an unmanned aerial vehicle that could stay in the air for over 12 hours at a time. The helicopter has never been used in a real-world mission because it is still being evaluated according to Lieutenant Colonel Kent Guffy, the lead program manager of the YMQ-18A. With its thick dense jungles, tropical weather and little air traffic, Belize provides ideal conditions for testing the helicopter.
