The Un-manned Blackhawk

In the era of a shrinking military budget, the United States Army is constantly looking for more ways to be efficient with both manpower and equipment. One major sticking point for both logistics and combat operations are the mandatory limited flight hours of pilots and crew members of both fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The Army limits the hours that helicopter pilots can fly each day so that they can remain fresh and alert when they are in the air. This however limits the number of missions that can be flown each day or consecutively. In recent years with the emergence of drone technology, the military has turned to unmanned aircraft to take over key surveillance and attack missions. However, little progress has been made in developing technology to move troops and supplies without a dedicated on-board pilot and crew... Until now.

In 2007, Sikorsky Aircraft (the manufacturer of the 60 Series Black Hawk), began research and development on a project to produce unmanned Black Hawk's for the Army. Today, this project takes the fully functional form of the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk (OPBH). This aircraft operates the same as its original counterpart with the new option of having a full, partial, or no crew. Mike Miller of Sikorsky framed its capabilities perfectly when he said “The autonomous Black Hawk helicopter provides the commander with the flexibility to determine crewed or un-crewed operations, increasing sorties while maintaining crew rest requirements.” Last month, Sikorsky successfully demonstrated the hover and and flight capabilities of the OPBH, putting it one step closer to operational use. 


Implementation of the OPBH would have multiple benefits to the Army's logistical network. It would allow the Army room to generate fewer Black Hawk pilots, severely cutting costs and lowering personnel numbers. Whether or not the Army decreased Black Hawk pilot numbers, the OPBH would greatly increase the sheer number of missions a sing aircraft could conduct, not being limited by pilot rest requirements. The effect this could have on the transportation and sustainment within Army logistics are huge. With more missions running per day, supplies get to units faster and human pilots can focus on more high profile missions like troop insertions and MEDEVAC while still getting the same amount of rest. The only downfall to the OPBH is the potentially high production costs required to make the system operational. Once it is introduced though, the savings in pilot training and personnel costs and benefits to the logistics network would certainly outweigh this initial cost.