No Result
View All Result
AerialFire
  • Articles
    • Columns
    • Cover Stories
    • Drone/UAS
    • Feature Stories
    • Fire Regulations
    • Government
    • Ground Ops
    • Helicopter
    • International Operations
    • LAT
    • Press Release
    • Retardant
    • SEATs
    • Technology
    • VLAT
    • Wildfire
  • Store
  • Current Issue
  • Contact Us
Subscribe
AerialFire
  • Articles
    • Columns
    • Cover Stories
    • Drone/UAS
    • Feature Stories
    • Fire Regulations
    • Government
    • Ground Ops
    • Helicopter
    • International Operations
    • LAT
    • Press Release
    • Retardant
    • SEATs
    • Technology
    • VLAT
    • Wildfire
  • Store
  • Current Issue
  • Contact Us
Subscribe
AerialFire
No Result
View All Result
Home Aerial Fire News

ALIAS Equipped Black Hawk Helicopter Completes First Uninhabited Flight

by AerialFire Staff
February 11, 2022
in Aerial Fire News, Drone/UAS, Government, Helicopter, Press Release, Technology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
ALIAS Equipped Black Hawk Helicopter Completes First Uninhabited Flight

Achievement made possible by development of flexible, extensible automation architecture

Sikorsky UH-60A Blackhawk OPV, N600PV (79-23298) during its first unmanned flight at Sabre AHP, Tennessee, on Saturday, February 5th, 2022.

The DARPA Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program completed a first ever flight of a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter without anyone onboard. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, completed 30-minutes of uninhabited flight with the optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) over the U.S. Army installation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky on February 5th. An additional uninhabited flight was also conducted on February 7th.

The Black Hawk was retrofitted with Sikorsky MATRIX™ autonomy technologies that form the core of ALIAS and can change the way aviators and aircrews execute their missions by providing assistance when flying with limited visibility or without communications.

ALIAS is a flexible, extensible automation architecture for existing manned aircraft that enables safe reduced crew operations, which facilitates the addition of high levels of automation into existing aircraft. It also provides a platform for integrating additional automation or autonomy capabilities tailored for specific missions.

“With reduced workloads pilots can focus on mission management instead of the mechanics,” said Stuart Young, program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. “This unique combination of autonomy software and hardware will make flying both smarter and safer.”

The ALIAS program has leveraged the considerable advances in aircraft automation systems over the past 50 years, as well as similar advances in remotely piloted aircraft. Even in today’s most automated aircraft, pilots must still manage complex interfaces and respond to unexpected situations.

ALIAS aims to support execution of an entire mission from takeoff to landing, including autonomously handling contingency events such as aircraft system failures. Easy-to-use interfaces facilitate supervisor-ALIAS interaction.

“With ALIAS, the Army will have much more operational flexibility,” said Young. “This includes the ability to operate aircraft at all times of the day or night, with and without pilots, and in a variety of difficult conditions, such as contested, congested, and degraded visual environments.”

The Army is currently exploring potential use cases for technologies such as ALIAS, including those outlined in the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

Within the next month, the ALIAS program plans to conduct the first flight of a fly-by-wire M-model Black Hawk at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Tags: Aerial FirefightingALIASBlack HawkDARPAhelicopterMatrix TechnologyOptionally Piloted VehicleOPVsikorskyTEchnologyUASUH-60A

AerialFire Staff

AerialFire Magazine strives to provide you with breaking aerial firefighting industry news and information.

Related Posts

SUBARU Bell 412EPX Receives Transport Canada Validation

SUBARU Bell 412EPX Receives Transport Canada Validation

by AerialFire Staff
May 8, 2025

Mirabel, Quebec (May 7, 2025) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced the SUBARU Bell 412EPX has received Transport Canada...

U.S. Forest Service Tackles Wildfire Risks with Strategic Aerial Firefighting Efforts

U.S. Forest Service Tackles Wildfire Risks with Strategic Aerial Firefighting Efforts

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025

With wildfires burning in Eastern Carolina, you may have seen some helicopters helping to put out the flames, but it’s...

Greece’s Next Firebombing Fleet Replacing the Aging Dromaders

Greece’s Next Firebombing Fleet Replacing the Aging Dromaders

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025

by Babak Taghvaee These aging Polish-made crop dusters have been in use by the HAF's 359 Public Services Air Support...

Fire-Killer Antonov AN-32P – Ukraine’s Key Firefighter Aircraft

Fire-Killer Antonov AN-32P – Ukraine’s Key Firefighter Aircraft

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025

by Babak Taghvaee Designed and built to be the Soviet Union's main aerial firefighter aircraft, now over 30 years after...

Trending News

No Content Available
SUBARU Bell 412EPX Receives Transport Canada Validation
Helicopter

SUBARU Bell 412EPX Receives Transport Canada Validation

by AerialFire Staff
May 8, 2025
U.S. Forest Service Tackles Wildfire Risks with Strategic Aerial Firefighting Efforts
Aerial Fire News

U.S. Forest Service Tackles Wildfire Risks with Strategic Aerial Firefighting Efforts

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025
Greece’s Next Firebombing Fleet Replacing the Aging Dromaders
Aerial Fire News

Greece’s Next Firebombing Fleet Replacing the Aging Dromaders

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025
Fire-Killer Antonov AN-32P – Ukraine’s Key Firefighter Aircraft
Aerial Fire News

Fire-Killer Antonov AN-32P – Ukraine’s Key Firefighter Aircraft

by AerialFire Staff
May 6, 2025
AerialFire

© 2025 AerialFire, a Marsayl Media Publication. All rights Reserved.

Navigate Site

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Store
  • Current Issue
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

© 2025 AerialFire, a Marsayl Media Publication. All rights Reserved.

Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset