FORT CAMPBELL, KY (AP) — A helicopter flew unmanned around Fort Campbell recently in what is the Army’s first automated flight of an empty Black Hawk, officials said.
The 14,000-pound UH-60A Black Hawk successfully navigated around the post as if it were downtown Manhattan, engineers told reporters Tuesday.
The DARPA Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program took the helicopter on 30-minute flight on Feb. 5. It was the first time the system known as ALIAS flew completely by itself. The system is being tested with 14 military aircraft.
Igor Cherepinsky, Sikorsky Innovations director, said the Army will determine how to use the technology.
The program began as a “digital co-pilot,” Cherepinsky said. It has become an autonomous pilot but could still be used with a pilot on board.
“One of the reasons we’re here in Fort Campbell, quite frankly, it’s home to some of the most forward-thinking folks who fly rotary wing aircraft,” he said. “You could certainly see their minds working how to use this.”