By Charles Carter, 07/11/22
US aviation company Sikorsky and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have demonstrated an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter to the US Army.
The machine conducted pilotless cargo resupply and medical evacuation missions at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, last month. No humans were on board.
Sikorsky was acquired by Lockheed Martin for close to $9 billion in November of 2015.
How does it work?
The Black Hawk aircraft was controlled by Sikorsky’s autonomous system, MATRIX, with the option of remote control by a ground operator with a tablet.
The aircraft flew 83 miles while loaded with 400 units of real and simulated blood – totaling 227 kg.
It also lifted off with a 1.2-tonne external load attached to a 12m sling, and flew at 100 knots for 30 minutes toward a designated landing zone.
While in flight, the helicopter was redirected by a ground operator who commanded it to release its sling load and then land to evacuate a casualty from a nearby location.
Once the manikin on a stretcher was secured inside the cabin, the operator launched the aircraft.
During the return flight, a BATDOK health monitoring device integrated with the helicopter’s communications system relayed the patient’s vitals in real-time to a ground-based medical team.
What are the potential benefits?
The demonstration was part of the US Army’s Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) experiment, the flights show how existing and future piloted utility helicopters could one day fly complex missions in reduced crew or autonomous mode.
This would give commanders and aviators greater flexibility in how and when aircraft and pilots are used, especially in limited visibility or hazardous environments on the battlefield.
Questions for you. Comment below
- First thought that comes into your head?
- Pros and cons according to you?
- Other applications of this approach?
- What could this be combined with?
