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Old 02-14-2011, 05:34 AM
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rickair7777
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Originally Posted by forgot to bid View Post
Also, page 147:

Top Technologies to Watch:

Manned and unmanned come together in the concept of "optionally piloted" aircraft to be demonstrated in mid-2011 by Sikorsky using a UH-60M helicopter.

The modified Black Hawk will fly a fully autonomous cargo mission, from taking off through picking up a load and flying a route, to returning for the next pickup.

Unmanned resupply is an early application of Sikorsky's optionally piloted concept - the ability to selectively remove one or both pilots from the cockpit while maintaining the full spectrum of Black Hawk capabilities.

Also this year Aurora Flight Sciences plans to begin deliveries of its Centaur, an optionally piloted aircraft based on the Diamond DA42 that can be operated manned in civil airspace or unmanned for extended endurance.

The U.S. Air Force's next bomber is expected to be optionally manned as well.


More:
Military.com: Optionally Manned Black Hawk

Optionally manned spy plane to fly this year

Optionally manned A10?
The cargo helos will not carry people, are intended for very specific applications, and will not be operating in the national airspace system. Basically they were created to resupply troops in afghanistan where roads are long, rough, and dangerous. They are convoy replacement, not a manned-helicopter replacement.

The "optionally manned" bomber means the AF does not trust pilotless aircraft with certain missions (specifically nuclear).
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