United Technologies subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. said the U.S. Department of Defense’s DARPA unit has awarded it an $8 million contract to develop automation that will allow an aircraft to operate with reduced onboard crew.
Sikorsky said it will work with the United Technologies Research Center, the National Robotics Engineering Center and Veloxiti Inc. to reconfigure systems within Black Hawk helicopters and other aircraft, allowing them to be flown by fewer crew members or by crews with varying skill levels.
Sikorsky is using its Matrix Technology suite of software and hardware components, which enable aircraft to fly autonomously, including in close proximity to obstacles.
Using Matrix and fly-by-wire controls, Sikorsky first flew an S-76 helicopter in 2013.
