The DARPA FORESTER is a technology development program sponsored jointly by the

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adv ...

(DARPA) and the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

intended to produce an advanced airborne UHF radar system that can track personnel and vehicles on the ground when they are hidden by foliage. ''FORESTER'' is an acronym for ''FO''PEN Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar (''FOPEN'' itself is an acronym for FOliage PENetration).

Description

The FORESTER is a GMTI radar system with a resolution of 6 metersRobinson, Clarence Jr, "Radar Counters Camouflage", ''Signal Online'' Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association
/ref> that is mounted inside a long pod and designed to be carried under an

A160 Hummingbird The Boeing A160 Hummingbird (military designation: YMQ-18A) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) helicopter. Its design incorporates many new technologies never before used in helicopters, allowing for greater endurance and altitude than any helic ...

helicopter

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

(UAV). The system is able to detect vehicles and walking soldiers underneath tree cover from a distance of , giving battle planners the ability to detect potential ambushes. The pod is designed to swivel from its stowed in-line position 90 degrees to its deployed position. From a helicopter UAV hovering at , FORESTER can cover a area.Norris, Guy, "Boeing Rotary UAV Aims To Set Records", ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', March 30, 2008, accessed August 29, 2008
/ref> According to FORESTER program manager Lyndall Beamer, "Employing the sensor system on the DARPA/U.S. Army

unmanned aerial vehicle AVhelicopter or other suitable platform will provide a robust, wide-area, all-weather, standoff capability." Cost is anticipated to run US$2.5 million per unit, with a production goal of US$1 million per unit in quantities of 50 or more.

Development

The FORESTER program is being managed by DARPA's Information Innovation Office (I2O), and the hardware is manufactured for DARPA by SRC at their Syracuse, NY, headquarters. The initial prototype for the FORESTER was flight tested using a

UH-60 Blackhawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...

helicopter because the A160 had not yet completed its Phase 1 flight test program. Test flights with the A160 began in August 2008.

References

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External links

DARPA CG animation video
showing FORESTER on the Boeing A160 Hummingbird

FORESTER A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

Military radars of the United States