The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA for short, has successfully completed two fully automated missions with the Black Hawk helicopter. In its two missions, this helicopter has been able to carry out rescue and cargo operations without a pilot.
According to the press release of Lockheed Martin, which is their subsidiary Sikorsky The developer of “Black Hawk” software, this helicopter has managed to perform its missions while maintaining safety and in a reliable manner. This statement states:
“The flights, conducted on October 12, 14 and 18 as part of the US Army’s Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) test, demonstrated that current and future manned helicopters can one day perform complex operations with minimal crews or autonomously. This achievement allows military commanders and airmen greater flexibility in how and when to use aircraft and pilots, especially in conditions of low visibility or poor environmental conditions.”
The Black Hawk helicopter is ready to enter the military
DARPA has partnered with Sikorsky in this project to develop an automatic technology called MATRIX which are used in fixed-wing or glider aircraft. “We believe that MATRIX technology is now ready to enter the military,” says Igor Cherpinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations.
Cherpinski further pointed out that MATRIX technology can increase the chances of survival in high temperatures: “Unmanned or unmanned helicopters can safely carry out their important rescue missions during the day or night in Complex geographical environments and battlefields Do.”
During these tests, the pilots transferred full flight control to the computer by activating the MATRIX system. Then the helicopter was able to carry out a medical equipment mission and a combined mission of transporting the injured.
This series of tests is actually the second series of unmanned flights of the Black Hawk this year. DARPA previously in February 2022 a 30 minute flight had done with this helicopter. Sikorsky and DARPA have now announced that they want to continue working together on the use of autonomous flight technology in military operations.
