By Rebecca Rayko

LAS VEGAS, Nevada - There was an ugly duckling among the rows of shiny new helicopters on display at Heli Expo 2000. But the windowless all-gray rotorcraft has a mission like no other helicopter at the convention.

The specially designed rotary-winged aircraft manufactured by Schweizer is supporting Northrop Grumman's entry in the US Navy's Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) competition.

Model 379 seen here at the Schweizer booth completed its first flight last month at China Lake, California (see related story).

The aircraft is a derivative of the Schweizer Model 333 turbine helicopter, or as president Paul Schweizer described it, "It's basically a 330 or 333 in a new shell, configured as a UAV."

After the flawless first flight last month, Schweizer said he wanted to let the helicopter world get a look at the Model 379. Northrop Grumman personnel were also on hand at the Schweizer booth to answer questions about the aircraft.

The US Navy and Marine Corps plan to use VTUAVs to perform real-time reconnaissance and targeting missions. The Northrop Grumman VTUAV meets all of the Navy's requirements: carry 200 pounds of payload; take off vertically; fly 110 nautical miles; loiter for three hours at up to 20,000 feet; and return to land vertically in a 25-knot wind from any direction.

The contract award for the VTUAV program is planned for March 1, 2000.