Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles
Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles
Maverick
Copyright © 2005 Andreas Parsch

Boeing (Frontier Systems/Robinson) Maverick

In 1999, Frontier Systems (acquired by Boeing in 2004) modified a commercial Robinson R22 helicopter to unmanned configuration to serve as a flight control system testbed for the A160 Hummingbird UAV. Although the test vehicle eventually crashed in February 2000, the development objectives had been reached. Unmanned R22 helicopters have been marketed by Boeing as the Maverick UAV system.

Photo: Robinson
R22 (manned configuration)


In 2003, the U.S. Navy acquired four Mavericks for the Special Operations Forces. The sensor package includes a Wescam EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) system, but no specific information on the usage of the Maverick by the U.S. military is available.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data for Maverick:

Length8.78 m (28.8 ft)
Rotor diameter7.68 m (25.2 ft)
Weight621 kg (1370 lb)
Speed219 km/h (118 knots)
Ceiling3290 m (10800 ft)
Range325 km (175 nm)
PropulsionLycoming O-360-J2A piston engine; 107 kW (145 hp)

Main Sources

[1] "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap, 2005-2030", Office of the Secretary of Defense, August 2005


Back to Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4





Last Updated: 1 September 2005