On 8 February, the US company Sikorsky, owned by the Lockheed Martin group, communicated that they completed the first-ever two uninhabited flights with a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter. These first flights are linked to the testing of a new technological system for autonomous driving called MATRIX. The initiative is part of the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program, launched by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). It aims to develop portable and removable automation systems for helicopters.
The test was conducted at Fort Campbell in Kentucky (USA). The helicopter, taken from the stocks of the US Army, has been heavily modified by civil and military engineers to carry the ALIAS system. The first flight lasted thirty minutes. The details of the second flight were not disclosed. The technology developed makes extensive use of artificial intelligence equipment, allowing the helicopter to transform not into an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) but an Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV). Unlike a traditional drone, the OPV does not need human intervention to act. The helicopter itself initiates the various procedures. The design of an OPV helicopter is much more delicate and complex than the simple “dronisation” of a device.
OPVs aim to enable the crew’s replacement in the event of failures, particularly above a battlefield. For example, in the case of a pilot and co-pilot of an assault helicopter hit by enemy fire and unable to get their machine and passengers back to base, the crash is the only possible option. In the near future, with onboard AI, the aircraft converted into an OPV will be able to bring the crew back to their destination. It is a major step forward in terms of security.
Moreover, pilots can concentrate on mission management rather than mechanics with fewer workloads. The ALIAS program is designed to assist in the execution of a mission from take-off to landing, including managing contingency events such as aircraft system breakdowns autonomously. Interaction between the supervisor and the ALIAS is made easier through user-friendly interfaces. Thanks to DARPA’s program, armies will have far more operational freedom. This includes the capacity to fly aircraft at any time of day or night, with or without pilots, and in a range of challenging settings, such as disputed, crowded, or impaired visual surroundings.
DARPA is a government agency of the United States Department of Defense in charge of developing new technologies for military use. It was founded in 1958 in response to the launch of the Soviet Sputnik spacecraft the previous year to keep US technological capabilities ahead. DARPA was responsible for the development and implementation of important technologies, which had a significant impact on the common life of millions of citizens of the world. Among these: the computer networks (they founded ARPANET, which developed into the modern Internet), and the On Line System (NLS), which is at the level of creating hypertext with the use of a graphical interface.
Written by Francesco Giannelli
