Nine dead after 2 helicopters crash during doomed training session at base, 5 months after autonomous flying tech first proven (www.the-sun.com)

NINE service members are dead following an aerial collision involving two US Black Hawk helicopters. The deadly training session occurred near the Fort Campbell military base in Trigg County, Kentu…

Seems fishy to me – these highly skilled pilots couldn’t avoid crashing into each other…? I’m not saying it’s what happened, but, out of curiosity, I found this article: Sikorsky And DARPA’s Autonomous Black Hawk Flies Logistics And Rescue Missions Without Pilots On Board | Aviation Pros

“Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have successfully demonstrated to the U.S. Army for the first time how an uninhabited Black Hawk helicopter flying autonomously can safely and reliably perform internal and external cargo resupply missions, and a rescue operation.

Performed Oct. 12, 14 and 18 as part of the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence 2022 (PC22) experiment, the flights show how existing and future piloted utility helicopters could one day fly complex missions in reduced crew or autonomous mode. This would give Army commanders and aviators greater flexibility in how and when aircraft and pilots are used, especially in limited visibility or contested environments.“ (Would they build this tech and not install an ability to override a human pilot’s control of the helicopter?)

“Sikorsky’s autonomy system, known as MATRIX technology, forms the core of DARPA’s ALIAS (Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System) project.”

” While in flight, the helicopter was redirected, simulating a scenario in which a threat needed to be neutralized near the primary landing site. Sikorsky demonstrated how a ground operator with a secure radio and tablet can take control of the uncrewed helicopter, command it to release its sling load, and then land to evacuate a casualty from a nearby location. Once the manikin on a litter was secured inside the cabin, the ground operator launched the aircraft.” 

Strangely, this article also makes several points of stating that the cargo load on this maiden voyage was ” 400 units of real and simulated blood – totaling 500 pounds.”