Aurora moves forward with project to develop unmanned helicopter for battlefield resupply

摘要

U.S. Navy experts are moving forward with a project to develop an unmanned helicopter for delivering and picking up cargo and equipment under fire on forward-edges of the battlefield. Officials of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., announced an $11.2 million contract modification to Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, Va., to support flight testing for the Autonomous Aerial Cargo Ⅰ Utility System (AACUS) program. The AACUS project is developing prototype unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft to demonstrate advanced autonomous capabilities for battlefield resupply and retreat. Eventually, Navy researchers want to use unmanned helicopters to evacuate battlefield casualties.