Washington - Sikorsky Corporation announced on February 8th that a UH-60 Alpha Black Hawk helicopter is completely unmanned for the first time, as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Crew Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program.

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky and DARPA have been working on ALIAS for about six years, but always have a pilot on board to be on the safe side, even if the helicopter completes the flight completely independently.Igor Cherepinsky, the director of Sikorsky Innovation, told reporters at a virtual press conference on February 8th that there is a switch on the helicopter called the "210 switch". The switch indicates how many pilots are on the aircraft; The first time it becomes zero before flying.

On February 5th, ALIAS Black Hawk flew empty for 30 minutes on Campbell Castle, Kentucky, and then made another shorter flight on February 7th.

This aircraft underwent a pre flight inspection, took off, and passed through a simulated Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system that depicted the crowded and complex New York City skyline. According to Cherebinsky, this 14000 pound plane automatically responds to simulated skyscrapers and passes through Manhattan. Then the plane landed on its own.

The Black Hawk uses the Sikorsky Matrix Autonomous System, designed to assist pilots and crew members in flying in degraded environments, including those with limited visibility or lack of reliable communication.

Sikorsky developed MATRIX technology through its Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (SARA). US Army pilots made their first test flight in 2018 as the service continues to strive to make manned options available for both current and future fleets under development.ALIAS integrates high automation into manned aircraft and has the ability to undertake additional autonomous capabilities.

ALIAS aims to support the execution of the entire mission from takeoff to landing, including the autonomous handling of unexpected events such as aircraft system failures. The user-friendly interface facilitates interaction between supervisors and aliases, "the company statement said.

As the workload decreases, pilots can focus on task management rather than mechanics, "said Stuart Young, project manager at DARPA's Tactical Technology Office. This unique combination of autonomous software and hardware will make flying smarter and safer

DARPA and Sikorsky have invested a total of approximately $160 million in the ALIAS program. Yang said that the plan is to complete the project before the end of this year. Yang said that the differences between the two are relatively even.

He said that ALIAS has brought operational flexibility to the army. This includes the ability to operate the aircraft at any time during the day or night, with or without a pilot, as well as in various challenging conditions such as controversial, crowded, and degraded visual environments, "Yang added.One of the main causes of army aviation accidents is the combination of human error and degraded visual environment. The service continues to seek systems that can help alleviate the burden on pilots in these environments.

Source: Military of Strong Countries