Future Army recon helicopter will still need pilots, study finds
By Colin Demarest
Wednesday, Apr 19
WASHINGTON — Future versions of U.S. Army reconnaissance helicopters will need trained aviators to operate them well into the next decade despite advances in artificial intelligence, according to a study conducted by Mitre Corp. for service leaders.
Full-fledged autonomy would fail to “faithfully” fulfill more than three-quarters of studied tasks associated with the Army’s in-development Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, or FARA, by 2030, according to the technical analysis, details of which were recently shared with C4ISRNET.
The odds aren’t much better in 2040, either. At least 10 “high-risk” and 18 “medium-risk” challenges hampering no-pilot deployment were identified, suggesting human input — in the actual advanced rotorcraft, or beamed in from afar — will continue to be relied upon for complex, high-stakes military endeavors.
Maj. Gen. Walter Rugen, the director of the Army’s Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team, said the findings will help determine how development money is spent.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2023/04/19/future-army-recon-helicopter-will-still-need-pilots-study-finds/
