A retrofitted Black Hawk helicopter flew autonomously between mountains to deliver blood supplies in a simulated mission. It also picked up a simulated medical casualty. “It’s a truly autonomous system,” said Igor Cherepinsky at Sikorsky Innovations, the aircraft manufacturer that produces the Black Hawk, at a press conference.
This is the latest milestone in a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program called ALIAS that is testing Sikorsky’s MATRIX technology – a drop-in kit that can convert helicopters into aircraft that fly autonomously.
The drone versions of Black Hawks and other military aircraft could potentially perform resupply runs without risking the lives of human pilots. But the MATRIX kit upgrade could also enable aircraft to continue carrying out less dangerous missions on their own while their human crews are resting.
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