DARPA awards Aurora ALIAS programme contract
According to a press release on 5 January 2015 by Aurora Flight Sciences, the company has won a $6 million contract for the first phase of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme.
The programme is aimed at developing and inserting new automation into existing aircraft to reduce on-board crew requirements. It envisions a portable and extensible hardware and software kit that would enable the introduction of new levels of automation across a wide variety of military and civilian aircraft.
Aurora will work with the Duke Engineering Research Institute and National Robotics Engineering Center to develop an automated assistant that can operate an aircraft from take-off to landing. It will automatically execute the necessary flight and mission activities, checklists and procedures at the correct phases of flight as well as detect and respond to contingencies. An intuitive interface would inform the human pilot continuously of the automated actions being executed and give the option to take back control.
Javier de Luis, vice president of research programmes, Aurora, said: 'Successful introduction of such a system would help improve pilot performance and reduce individual workload, while also providing significant cost savings in the form of simplified training and lower crew costs.'
He added: 'Because of its portability, its defined interfaces, and its open architecture system, I expect ALIAS to have broad applications across a wide range of both military and civilian transport systems.'
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
-
![AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems]()
AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems
Taurus operates alongside the Israel Defense Forces’ Orion system which supports mission management across tens of thousands of manoeuvring forces, from squad leaders to battalion commanders.
-
![AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster]()
AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster
The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
