Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin firm, has been awarded $6 million by the Protection Superior Analysis Initiatives Company (DARPA) to put in its superior ALIAS/MATRIX flight autonomy system onto the U.S. Military’s experimental UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter.
The upgraded plane, designated as MX, will permit the U.S. Military Fight Capabilities Growth Command (DEVCOM) to check and consider autonomy capabilities starting from single-pilot operations to completely uninhabited flight.
“Autonomy-enabled plane will scale back pilot workload, dramatically enhance flight security, and provides battle commanders the pliability to carry out complicated missions in contested and congested battlespace, day or night time in all climate situations,” stated Wealthy Benton, Sikorsky vice chairman and common supervisor. Benton emphasised that this improve will assist guarantee Black Hawk helicopters stay viable into the 2070s, offering long-term advantages for U.S. Military Aviation.
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The MATRIX autonomy system is the centerpiece of DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program, designed to enhance pilot security and mission success in high-risk environments. In 2020, Sikorsky added fly-by-wire flight controls to the MX plane, making a near-replica of the UH-60A Optionally Piloted Black Hawk, which serves as the corporate’s flying lab for testing autonomous flight programs.
The ALIAS program goals to allow helicopters to carry out complicated missions autonomously, permitting for operations in extremely congested and contested environments. As soon as built-in into the MX helicopter in 2025, the system will present DEVCOM with a platform to evaluate numerous sensor suites and autonomy purposes, enhancing situational consciousness and security.
In an indication in July 2024, Sikorsky and DARPA showcased the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk to U.S. navy and Division of Protection officers. The autonomous capabilities of the helicopter have been displayed via easy, high-level mission instructions issued from a pill, whether or not the operator was on the bottom or within the cabin. These demonstrations adopted profitable checks at Mission Convergence 2022, the place the helicopter carried out cargo resupply missions autonomously.
