Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have completed their first demonstration for the U.S. Army of logistics and rescue missions using an uncrewed “optionally piloted” Black Hawk helicopter. The demonstration simulated missions including an 83-mile autonomous medical resupply carrying 400 units of real and simulated blood, delivery of a 2,600-pound external load attached to a 40-foot sling, and rerouting mid-flight to evacuate a casualty. The flights, which were performed by a Black Hawk equipped with Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology, aimed to “show how existing and future piloted utility helicopters could one day fly complex missions in reduced crew or autonomous mode.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/unmanned-vehicles/sikorsky-demonstrates-logistics-missions-with-autonomous-black-hawk