Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky passed another milestone in its effort to field an unmanned version of its iconic Blackhawk helicopter. A drone Blackhawk picked up a robotic all-terrain vehicle, flew it several kilometers by air, and delivered it to a drop-off location.
Sikorsky has been working on the Manned/Unmanned Resupply Aerial Lifter (MURAL) project for more than a year. First flight of an unmanned UH-60A Blackhawk was in Spring 2014, but this was the first time the pilotless helicopter took an external payload from Point A to Point B.
The heart of the unmanned system is Matrix, a software and hardware solution that can be retrofitted to any Blackhawk. The system is self-navigating and can detect and maneuver around obstacles.
The drone capability promises to extend the usefulness of the U.S. Army's huge Blackhawk helicopter fleet. Drone Blackhawks could be used during pilot downtime and in hazardous conditions to autonomously carry loads. This would allow the U.S. Army to squeeze more flight time in the average day from each helicopter—and maximize aircrew efficiency.
The big upside for the Army—and other operators—would be the ability to spare pilots and aircrews boring, repetitive, relatively safe missions. Non-emergency missions capable of being fulfilled by drones could be scheduled for periods when aircrews are resting. Crews could instead focus their energies on more demanding missions involving difficult weather, ferrying troops and other humans, or missions with the possibility of facing enemy fire.
Is the system safe? Sikorsky says it's shooting for a loss rate (read: crash rate) of one per 100,000 hours. The average accident rate—including everything from total write-offs of the aircraft and fatalities to minor accidents —for a Blackhawk helicopter is about 15 per 100,000 hours. An increase is an increase, but it should be kept in mind a drone Blackhawk will probably be completely empty of humans when it crashes, so the only real danger to human life would be to people on the ground.
Robo-Blackhawk won't replace pilots any time soon, but it will help the U.S. military—and potential overseas operators—get the most from their airframes and crews.
Here's a video of Robo-Blackhawk undergoing tests in April 2014: