Uncrewed Black Hawk helicopter flies in U.S. Army test
NewsNovember 02, 2022
YUMA PROVING GROUND, Arizona. Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have demonstrated an uncrewed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flying autonomously for the U.S. Army, the company announced in a statement.
The purpose of the tests was to show that a Black Hawk could be flown without a pilot for cargo resupply missions and a rescue operation, the statement reads.
The tests took place in mid-October as part of the U.S. Army's Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) experiment to "show how existing and future piloted utility helicopters could one day fly complex missions in reduced crew or autonomous mode," the statement reads.
"This would give Army commanders and aviators greater flexibility in how and when aircraft and pilots are used, especially in limited visibility or contested environments," it adds.
For the long-endurance medical resupply mission, the Black Hawk aircraft flew 83 miles with 400 units of real and simulated blood totalling 500 pounds. For the cargo delivery and casualty evacuation mission, the helicopter lifted off with a 2,600-pound external load and flew 100 knots for 30 minutes.
