The American company Sikorsky in 2021 will test unmanned multi-purpose helicopters Black Hawk flight in formation with simultaneous landing on a small platform. According to Flightglobal, the tests will be commissioned by the defense advanced development Agency of the us Department of defense. Three helicopters will be tested by flight in formation.
The us military is interested in developing systems that allow converting manned aircraft. It is believed that thanks to them, it will be possible to cope with the shortage of pilots, as well as extend the service life of outdated machines. In addition, such systems will make flying in combat conditions safer for people.
It is expected that the tests scheduled for 2021 will use a modified s-76B unmanned helicopter, as well as an outdated version of the UH-60A Black Hawk, which has been re-equipped with an electric control system and equipped with a remote control system. In addition, one uh-60A helicopter, already undergoing conversion to a drone, will be provided for testing by the US Army.
Sikorsky has developed the Matrix system for redesigning manned helicopters. It is a software and hardware complex placed in a container 0.3 meters wide, 0.3 meters high and 0.6 meters long. Installing the system on a helicopter equipped with an electric control system is relatively simple and does not require much time.
The system has several flight modes: fully unmanned, under the control of one pilot with automatic assistance, and under the control of two pilots.
Vasily Sychev