Rotorcraft Pilot’s Associate: Technology for the Battlefield of Tomorrow

The objective of the Rotorcraft Pilot’s Associate (RPA) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) program is to apply artificial intelligence techniques and state-of-the-art computing technologies to manage and integrate next generation aircraft mission equipment and battlefield information, from both on and off-board sensors. The goal is to enhance the lethality, survivability, and mission effectiveness of combat helicopters using “Associate Technology” and “Cognitive Decision Aiding Systems” (CDAS) to analyze the available information and provide options to the helicopter crew to help them best accomplish their objectives. In addition, many tasks involving complex interactions between several pieces of mission equipment have been automated to various degrees depending on the crew workload and requirements. RPA’s CDAS contains detailed models of both the crew and the mission equipment/CDAS functions and will remind the pilot if he gets too busy and bypasses one of his functions. The aircraft crew primarily sees only a comprehensive display of the battlefield situation and the options presented to them to best accomplish their mission. The vast majority of the processing is done behind the scenes and is, in effect, invisible to the crew. A wide selection of tools are available to the crew to help them in understanding the recommended options and modifying them according to information the Associate may not have been aware of. The combination of the computer’s speed and thoroughness and the crew’s awareness and oversight will result in, not only the best information being made available in real or near-real time, but also in the utilization of that information to provide the decisive edge in the battlefield of tomorrow. This paper will discuss RPA from a top level perspective focusing on applicability to military operations and transition opportunities that the program office is researching currently.