INCREASING MISSION EFFECTIVENESS WITH AN INTELLIGENT PILOT-VEHICLE INTERFACE

The Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) of the U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM) recently awarded two Phase I contracts to demonstrate the application of artificial intelligence technology to single-pilot, day/night adverse weather combat helicopter operations. The program, called D/NAPS (Day/Night Adverse weather Pilotage System), also involves the integration of available advanced technology pilotage sensors, and controls and displays to increase mission effectiveness and survivability. The D/NAPS program is focused on five expert system domains: Mission Planning (MP), Tactical Planning (TP), Situation Assessment (SA) , System Status Assessment (SS), and Pilot-Vehicle Interface (PVI). A sixth domain is the Mission Executive (ME), which resolves conflicts and executes plans. These six domains are collectively referred to as the Cognitive Decision Aiding System (CDAS). This paper will describe the unique PVI challenges presented by the D/NAPS mission, and how the Sikorsky Team's human factors oriented approach to the Pilot-Vehicle Interlace (PVI) addresses those challenges. The attributes of an intelligent PVI are also discussed, as well as the impact on future Army Aviation.