The United States military just inched one step closer to bringing autonomous helicopters to the battlefield. Like most strange feats of advanced military technology, this one comes from The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known simply as “DARPA.” On Tuesday, DARPA said a UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter outfitted with its experimental Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) system safely completed a test flight without anyone in the chopper. The 30-minute test flight occurred over the weekend above a U.S. Army installation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
DARPA’s interest in autonomous vehicles broadly dates back decades. In 2004, 2005, and 2007, the agency held its series of “Grand Challenges,” which awarded millions in prize money to competitors who could design vehicles able to autonomously navigate over long distances. AV technology has since undergone transformational change compared to 2004 when not a single vehicle was able to complete DARPA’s 142-mile desert course. DARPA isn’t just interested in helicopters either. A report released last month in The New Yorker detailed advancements the agency has made in adding autonomous functions to fighter jets as part of its Air Combat Evolution program. In some simulated events, automated fighter jets systems have already outperformed human pilots in dogfights. If all goes according to plan, DARPA says it aims to showcase four AI-powered jets engaged in a live dogfight over Lake Ontario by 2024.
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