next phase of DARPA aircraft
automation project
August 27, 2015
ARLINGTON, Va., 27 Aug. 2015. Avionics designers at Aurora Flight
Sciences Corp. in Manassas, Va., are moving forward with a U.S
into existing planes and helicopters to enable operation with reduced
onboard crew.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced a $15.4 million contract modification
to Aurora Flight Sciences on Wednesday to begin the second phase
of the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program.
Aurora Flight Sciences won an initial $6 million phase-one DARPA ALIAS
contract in December 2014 to capitalize on advances in aircraft
automation, such as optionally piloted aircraft and remotely piloted
] aircraft, to help reduce pilot workload, augment mission performance
, and improve aircraft safety.
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Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Stratford, Conn., won a $9.8 million contract
modification last week for the second phase of the DARPA ALIAS program.
Sikorsky engineers will conduct flight demonstrations of the Autonomous
Crew Enhancement System (ACES) cargo-resupply mission on the
UH-60L helicopter, as well as demonstrate the ACES system on a
representative fixed-wing aircraft, DARPA officials say.
Lockheed Martin Corp. also is working on the first phase of the
DARPA ALIAS program.
For ALIAS phase-one, Aurora worked with the National Robotics
Engineering Center in Pittsburgh and the Duke Engineering Research
Institute in Durham, N.C., to develop an automated assistant able
to operate an aircraft from takeoff to landing.
The assistant automatically executes flight and mission activities,
checklists, and procedures, while detecting and responding to
contingencies, Aurora officials say. The system informs the human
pilot about actions the automated assistant is taking, and enables the
human take back control when necessary.
In the second phase of ALIAS, Aurora engineers will focus on refining
the overall ALIAS system, reducing risks, demonstrating rapid installation
time, and conducting additional in-flight demonstrations.
In DARPA ALIAS phase-two, Aurora experts also will refine subsystems
and demonstrate the overall system on a third aircraft, a
Sikorsky UH-60 military helicopter.
The objectives of ALIAS phase two are to enhance and mature
the phase-one system to support flight tests, enhance the usability
and robustness of the human interface, and demonstrate system
portability on the ground.
On this contract modification Aurora Flight Sciences will do the work in
Manassas, Va.; Pittsburgh; and Durham, N.C., and should be finished
by December 2016. For more information contact Aurora Flight
Sciences Aircraft online at www.aurora.aero, or DARPA at www.darpa.mil.