By Warren Duffie Jr.
Office of Naval Research
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., Dec. 14, 2017 — Cutting edge technology sponsored by the Office of Naval Research may one day enable the Marine Corps to resupply combat-deployed troops via unmanned aerial vehicles, officials announced.
A
successful final helicopter flight demonstration was achieved here Dec.
12 with autonomous capability as part of the Autonomous Aerial
Cargo/Utility System program. AACUS is a partnership between ONR and
technology company Aurora Flight Sciences.
Sensor, Software Package
The
system consists of a sensor and software package that can be integrated
into any manned or unmanned rotary-wing aircraft to detect and avoid
obstacles -- like telephone wires, other vehicles or large ground
objects -- in unfavorable weather conditions or to facilitate
autonomous, unmanned flight. This capability will be a welcome
alternative to dangerous convoys or manned aircraft missions in all
types of weather.
“This
is more than just an unmanned helicopter,” said Walter Jones, ONR
executive director. “AACUS is an autonomy kit that can be placed on any
rotary-wing platform and provide it with an autonomous capability.
Imagine a Marine Corps unit deployed in a remote location, in rough
terrain, needing ammunition, water, batteries or even blood.”
Jones
added, “With AACUS, an unmanned helicopter takes the supplies from the
base, picks out the optimal route and best landing site closest to the
warfighters, lands, and returns to base once the resupply is complete --
all with the single touch of a hand-held tablet.”
The
need for this capability surfaced during Marine Corps operations in
Afghanistan and Iraq, officials said. Cargo helicopters and resupply
convoys of trucks bringing fuel, food, water, ammunition and medical
supplies to the front lines frequently found themselves under enemy fire
-- or the target of roadside bombs and other improvised explosive
devices.
Easy to Use
AACUS
is designed for simple use. An operator with minimal training can call
up the supplies needed and order the flights using only an intuitive
handheld tablet. During the Dec. 12 demonstration tests at Quantico, a
Marine with no prior experience with the technology was given a handheld
device and 15 minutes of training.
The
Marine was able to quickly and easily program in the supplies needed
and the destination, and the helicopters arrived quickly -- even
autonomously selecting an alternative landing site based on last-second
no-fly-zone information added in from the Marine. The demonstration
featured a UH-1 Huey helicopter flying autonomously on multiple
missions.
“We’ve
developed this great capability ahead of requirements and it’s up to us
to determine how to use it,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, commanding
general, Marine Corps Combat Development Command. “The young Marines
today have grown up in a tech-savvy society, which is an advantage.
We’ve got to keep pushing and moving this technology forward.”
Officials
say AACUS represents a leap-ahead technology for the Marine Corps and
Navy, moving unmanned flights far beyond the current standard, which
requires a specialized operator to select a landing site and manually
control an unmanned aircraft via remote.
No comments:
Post a Comment