The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced the successful test of a program that will allow existing helicopters and VTOL aircraft to be "piloted" by a "flight operator" using a tablet computer and not the aircraft's controls.

The DARPA program called ALIAS or Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System will dispense with the need for trained pilots who will be replaced by "flight operators," basically a person or a soldier trained to operate the hardware.

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The objective of DARPA's ALIAS program is to develop and insert new levels of automation into existing military and commercial aircraft. Doing this will enable helicopters and fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to operate with reduced onboard crew.

ALIAS also seeks to exploit advances in autonomy that reduce pilot workload; augment mission performance and improve aircraft safety and reliability.

The first test of this concept was completely successful, said DARPA, which described the result as a milestone. The result represents a major step towards granting aircraft full autonomy.

Sikorsky, which is under contract with DARPA to develop ALIAS, successfully demonstrated a 30 mile autonomous flight using a Sikorsky S-76 commercial helicopter to complete Phase 1 of ALIAS. The demonstration showed the flight operator and not the pilot in control of the helicopter using a tablet. The flight operator completed the entire flight from beginning to end using the tablet.

The helicopter was equipped with SARA or the Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft that permitted the hand-free operation of the helicopter. The operator used ALIAS to control SARA with a special touch and drag tablet that looks like an everyday tablet.

To reach a destination, the flight operator chooses a pre-loaded flight plan or enters a new flight plan in real time. SARA then executes the flight plan.

Sikorsky engineers have started work on Phase 2 of the program that will focus on maturing the ALIAS system as engineers continue to conduct flight tests as well as make enhancements to the human interface.

You can watch a YouTube video of ALIAS in action here.

TagsDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System, Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft