Marines Tests It's New Autonomous Helicopter

Autonomous technology for the Marine Corps has taken a major step forward, as officials at the Office of Naval Research announces a successful final helicopter flight demonstration of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) program. AACUS is a partnership between Office of Naval Research and Aurora Flight Sciences.



UH-1 Huey helicopter equipped with AACUS sensor suite will enables the Marine Corps to rapidly resupply forces on the front lines. The system consists of a sensor and software package that can be integrated into any manned or unmanned rotary-wing aircraft to detect and avoid obstacles (like telephone wires, other vehicles or large ground objects) in unfavorable weather conditions, or to facilitate autonomous, unmanned flight.