DARPA, Sikorsky Demo Autonomous Blackhawk Helicopter

Sikorsky, a division of Lockheed Martin, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Army how an unmanned Black Hawk helicopter flying autonomously can safely and reliably perform internal and external cargo resupply missions, as well as rescue operations. The demonstrations were performed in October as part of the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) experiment. The flight aimed to show how existing and future-piloted utility helicopters could one day fly complex missions in a reduced crew or autonomous mode. This would give Army commanders and aviators greater flexibility in how and when aircraft and pilots are used, especially in limited visibility or contested environments, Sikorsky said. Photos courtesy of Ted Carlson, Sikorsky Aircraft.  For additional details, see this Robotics-World.com report.