The UH-60 Black Hawk, workhorse of US Army aviation, was flown with no crew for the first time this week, after being fitted with an automated flying system
Technology
9 February 2022
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during its first uncrewed flight on 5 February 2022 Ted Carlson/Sikorsky Aircraft
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, have flown a Black Hawk helicopter with nobody onboard for the first time.
The UH-60 Black Hawk, which is the workhorse of US Army aviation, usually requires two pilots. The Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) allows it to be flown with two people, one person or no one. The first uncrewed flight took place at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on 5 …