{"id":17488,"date":"2018-10-31T15:40:03","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T15:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/10\/31\/this-darpa-program-will-give-army-and-marine-aviators-a-robot-co-pilot\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:02:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:02:48","slug":"this-darpa-program-will-give-army-and-marine-aviators-a-robot-co-pilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/10\/31\/this-darpa-program-will-give-army-and-marine-aviators-a-robot-co-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"This DARPA program will give Army and Marine aviators a robot co-pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army aviators recently ran helicopters through missions with a kind of robot co-pilot for the first time, using technology a company says will be demonstrated in coming months on Black Hawk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/05\/08\/this-piece-of-gear-conquers-a-problem-thats-always-plagued-helicopter-pilots\/\" target=_blank>helicopters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pilots directed an \u201coptionally piloted helicopter\u201d through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2017\/04\/19\/troops-earn-their-wings-at-the-army-s-first-air-assault-course-in-kuwait\/\" target=_blank>mission scenarios<\/a> ranging from obstacle avoidance to contour flight, according to a release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pilots used the technology to move a modified commercial helicopter, the S-76B Sikorsky, known as Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft or SARA, through the scenarios designed under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program with Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/03\/01\/the-v-280-tilt-rotor-aircraft-could-change-the-way-air-assault-troops-operate\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"149\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/V-280_flying.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The V-280 tilt-rotor aircraft could change the way air assault troops operate<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Bell&#039;s V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft should be a welcome addition to units conducting fast rope insertions, rappelling, or any other air assault operation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The automated capabilities are part of the Army\u2019s larger Future Vertical Lift program, which aims to revolutionize how helicopters are employed by the services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFuture vertical lift aircraft will require robust autonomous and optimally piloted systems to complete missions and improve safety,\u201d said Chris Van Buiten, vice president of Sikorsky Innovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While personnel with the company have been developing and testing the technology for some time and flown more than 300 hours of autonomous flight, the Oct. 29 event at Fort Eustis, Virginia, was the first time non-company pilots operated the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These aviators experienced the same technology that we are installing and testing on a Black Hawk that will take its first flight over the next several months,\u201d Buiten said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The autonomous software and hardware, part of a tailorable package aimed to fit existing manned helicopters such as the Black Hawk, executed specific scenarios, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Automated takeoff and landing: The helicopter autonomously executed takeoff, traveled to its destination, and autonomously landed.<\/li><li>Obstacle avoidance: The helicopter\u2019s LIDAR and cameras enabled it to detect and avoid unknown objects such as wires, towers and moving vehicles.<\/li><li>Automatic landing zone selection: The helicopter\u2019s LIDAR sensors determined a safe landing zone.<\/li><li>Contour flight: The helicopter flew low to the ground and behind trees.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re demonstrating a certifiable autonomy solution that is going to drastically change the way pilots fly,\u201d said Mark Ward, Sikorsky chief pilot. \u201cWe\u2019re confident that MATRIX Technology will allow pilots to focus on their missions. This technology will ultimately decrease instances of the number one cause of helicopter crashes: Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DARPA Program Manager Graham Drozeski said that with the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation, or ALIAS, they\u2019re trying to balance human and autonomous contributions through work with the software and pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lt. Col. Carl Ott, chief of flight test at the Army\u2019s Aviation Development Directorate, echoed that comment, saying that the Army refers to the type of capability being pursued as \u201cmission adaptive autonomy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s there when the pilot needs the aircraft to fly itself, keep it free of obstacles, so the pilot can focus on more of a mission commander-type role, but the pilot\u2019s also able to interact with system to re-suggest or re-route or re-plan on the fly,\u201d Ott said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being able to do that seamlessly without shutting down the system are key capabilities for complex flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-FVL-1-web.png.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-FVL-1-web.png.png 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-FVL-1-web.png.png?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-FVL-1-web.png.png?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AUSA-FVL-1-web.png.png?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A soldier exits a Black Hawk helicopter during a demonstration as part of an open house hosted by the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., May 5, 2018. (Samuel King Jr.\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dave Baden, the Marine Corps&#8217; Future Vertical Lift program manager, said the technology is important to reduce pilot workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet the mission crews concentrate on what they\u2019re really there to do,\u201d Baden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That includes medevac, close air support or other tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This doesn\u2019t replace pilots, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ott was quick to mention that basic piloting skills and \u201cair sense\u201d to avoid obstacles and maneuver the aircraft remain crucial to piloting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd that just comes with time and experience,\u201d Ott said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system includes a user interface that Ott said is easily replicable in a simulator for training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drozeski said that the next step will be to fully integrate the ALIAS system will go beyond just \u201cwiggling the sticks\u201d and to allowing the autonomy to operate like a co-pilot with access to the entire system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J06OmgIOdJ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen title=\"US Army Pilot Tests ALIAS\u2019 Autonomy Capabilities in Demonstration Flight\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The autonomous capability will take the load off pilots so they can focus on mission tasks other than 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>This DARPA program will give Army and Marine aviators a robot co-pilot - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The autonomous capability will take the load off pilots so they can focus on mission tasks other than flying.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This DARPA program will give Army and Marine aviators a robot co-pilot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The autonomous capability will take the load off pilots so they can focus on mission tasks other than flying.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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