00:00This U.S. soldier amazingly was able to remotely fly a Black Hawk helicopter after receiving just one hour of training.
00:08The National Guard First Class Sergeant became the first soldier who wasn't a trained test pilot or engineer
00:14to independently plan, command, and execute one of the optionally piloted vehicle or OPV missions using the system's handheld tablet.
00:23An optionally piloted vehicle is a hybrid vehicle that can operate as a regular manned craft or be flown remotely as an unmanned aerial vehicle.
00:34The soldier completed the test mission at this year's Northern Strike, the United States Department of War's largest annual joint military readiness exercises.
00:43He directed a payload to a location 70 nautical miles away and commanded multiple precision airborne drops.
00:53Rich Benton, the general manager of the American aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, said that their new Matrix flight autonomy system
01:06could transform how military operators perform their missions.
01:10An optionally piloted Black Hawk aircraft can reduce pilot workload in a challenging environment
01:15or complete a resupply mission without humans on board.
01:19In contested logistics situations, a Black Hawk operating as a large drone offers commanders greater resilience and flexibility
01:27to get resources to the point of need, he said.
01:31The Matrix technology supports an in-cockpit automation system, giving operators control of advanced aviation,
01:39a capability once reserved for trained pilots.
01:41This now enables resupply, personnel recovery, and contested logistics missions in dangerous or low-visibility areas,
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