Angeline Leishman
A Black Hawk helicopter completed its first unmanned flight with the use of an autonomy technology suite Lockheed Martin‘s Sikorsky subsidiary developed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program.
The Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, which includes Sikorsky Matrix hardware and software, flew an uninhabited UH-60A aircraft for 30 minutes over Fort Campbell in Kentucky, DARPA said Tuesday.
ALIAS is designed to reduce a pilot’s workload and support flight operations in areas with limited visibility or disrupted communications.
The system can also integrate with other automation tools to provide an aerial vehicle with specific mission capabilities, according to the agency.
Sikorsky won the third phase of DARPA’s ALIAS program in January 2017 and began system integration with the Black Hawk in 2018.
DARPA plans to test the autonomous technology suite on a fly-by-wire M-model Black Hawk during the month of March.
