A modified UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flew for the first time in history without a human crew on board. The test flight used a set of systems designed to help improve the helicopter's flight performance and provide additional safety margins, but this could also provide a stepping stone to greater autonomy on the road.
These recent test flights are the latest development in DARPA's Crew Artificial Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program, which began in 2014. ALIAS leverages Sikorsky's matrix technology, a combination of software and hardware components, to interface with the aircraft's existing electronic and mechanical control systems, which have been under development since 2013. ALIAS has also been tested in the past on the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter and the fixed-wing Cessna 208 caravan.
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