NASA is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, to develop and test autonomous software designed for future self-flying air taxis.
The research is led by NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility program, which aims to take transportation to new heights by innovating passenger and freight flights in dense traffic environments and other scenarios, the agency said Tuesday.
AAM’s mission is to ensure a safe, accessible, automated, yet affordable air transport in hard-to-reach urban and rural areas.
The three organizations are currently designing software using scripted flight paths as well as customized test tablets and ground control room simulations to understand the technology’s behavior and response to air-to-air encounters.
The software will eventually be installed and tested on Sikorsky’s modified S-76B helicopter, labeled the Autonomy Research Aircraft, and its Optionally Piloted Vehicle Black Hawk helicopter.
