The U.S. Army is evaluating how an optionally piloted capability could make its helicopter operations more effective, in part by reducing the time required to train pilots. Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement announced on January 14, Skyryse has begun a project to explore how its SkyOS universal operating system could be installed on the Army’s 2,400 Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters and potentially other rotorcraft too.

The California-based flight automation specialist is now working with Army aviation engineers to assess SkyOS capabilities, including simplified pilot operations and varying levels of flight control autonomy. Skyryse has developed the platform to be aircraft-agnostic with the intent that it could increase interoperability between types in the Army fleet, allowing pilots to switch between rotorcraft with minimal training.

According to Skyryse, one of the key advantages of SkyOS is that it replaces manual controls with what the company said is a fully digital backbone consisting of fly-by-wire avionics and a triple-redundant and triple-dissimilar computer. The technology is intended to support simplified piloted operations and also allow aircraft to be flown without pilots on board for some missions.

“By combining the Army’s operational expertise with Skyryse’s leadership in rotorcraft flight controls and automation, we have a unique opportunity to make flying simple and safe enough that any service person can fly any aircraft,” said Skyryse CEO Mark Groden.

Skyryse is also seeking to apply its operating system to the flight decks of both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft in the civil and military sectors. Earlier this month, it unveiled the cockpit for its Skyryse One conversion of the Robinson R66 helicopter, which features fly-by-wire controls managed by a single control stick and touchscreen displays.