Scott Nicholas
Lockheed Martin has carried out an demonstration on optionally-piloted helicopters to evaluate small unmanned aerial systems’ capacities to collaborate on search-and-rescue, fire extinguishing and retrieval operations.
The defense contractor said Tuesday the exercise involved Kaman K-Max optionally-piloted helicopters and Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft as well as Indago quadrotor and Desert Hawk 3.1 fixed-wing UAS.
SARA commercial helicopters were equipped with Sikorsky MATRIX technology, which provided operators a capacity to control large rotorcraft as autonomous or optionally-piloted aircraft for the performed search-and-rescue exercise.
“Our goal is to support the integration of autonomy into aviation to improve the safety and capabilities for military and commercial missions,” said Mark Miller, vice president of engineering and technology for Lockheed’s Sikorsky subsidiary.
The company said it looks to extend capacities of human-machine teams and expand collaboration on air, land and sea domains in a push to support the utilization of autonomous and unmanned systems on the transformation of how militaries, first responders and researchers commence operations.
