Naomi Cooper
Lockheed Martin and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency jointly demonstrated the ability of a Black Hawk helicopter to perform missions autonomously during a recently concluded U.S. Army experiment.
The flight demonstrations used an optionally piloted Black Hawk, equipped with a Sikorsky-built autonomy system, to conduct medical resupply, cargo delivery and casualty evacuation as part of the Project Convergence 2022, Lockheed said Wednesday.
The MATRIX-supported aircraft carried 400 units of real and simulated blood for more than 83 miles and flew as low as 200 feet above ground level.
During the combined cargo delivery and rescue operation, a ground operator used a secure radio and tablet to command the uncrewed helicopter to release a 2,600 lb external load and evacuate a casualty to a designated landing zone.
Sikorsky’s MATRIX system serves as the foundation of DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System project that aims to add high levels of automation into existing military aircraft.
