The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and aircraft manufacturer , have flown a Black Hawk helicopter with nobody onboard for the first time.
The UH-60 Black Hawk, which is the workhorse of US Army aviation, usually requires two pilots. The Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) allows it to be flown with two people, one person or no one. The first uncrewed flight took place at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on 5 February and lasted 30 minutes, during which time the helicopter flew around a simulated cityscape.
Previous uncrewed helicopters, such as the K-MAX used in Afghanistan, have carried out resupply missions. The ALIAS system is different because it has been designed from the outset to be certified as safe to transport people.
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ALIAS includes a sensor suite with cameras and lidar, as well as extensive software. It is a modular system and can, in principle, be retrofitted to any aircraft 鈥� either fixed-wing or helicopter. ALIAS is currently being tested on an F-16 fighter jet and a large cargo aircraft.
Much of the design has focused on its ability to handle emergencies. , director of innovations at Sikorsky, says that in the event of an accident, such as losing one or both engines, ALIAS instantly follows the right procedures. For example, it can quickly identify an emergency landing site within reach.
The developers say that fitting ALIAS to an aircraft will cost more than a million dollars, although the exact price depends on how many of the systems are ordered. It should still be a highly economical proposition and will ease pressure on pilot recruitment and training, they say.
, a programme manager at DARPA, notes that ALIAS solves many of the challenges in the field of civil urban air mobility, in which developers aim to make robot air taxis a reality. In particular, it will fly safely even with limited visibility in cluttered, congested airspace.
As well as military missions, ALIAS is being explored for use in air ambulances and in aerial firefighting craft, which place high demands on pilots.
DARPA will complete testing of ALIAS this year and pass the technology to individual US military services for further development, while Sikorsky will develop it for other markets.
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