More drones become helicopter sidekicks.

• Author: Parsons, Dan
• Position: Inside Science + Technology

* Troops can't seem to get enough of the aerial reconnaissance gathered by manned and unmanned aircraft, which has proven invaluable to them in recent conflicts.

Drones are now being paired with manned helicopters, allowing one aircraft to do the work of two or more while putting fewer pilots in harm's way. Manned-unmanned configurations have become popular in theater, though uniformed and industry officials believe the technology hasn't reached its full potential.

The technology currently allows just one unmanned aerial vehicle to team with one manned aircraft. Industry and military officials want to push the concept further and they are pouring millions of dollars into these efforts.

"We see manned-unmanned teaming becoming even more important in the future," said Mike Miller, director of military business development for Bell Helicopter. "It gives you the ability to cover a greater area with unmanned systems and then to respond with a manned system when needed."

AAI Corp. and Bell Helicopter--both subsidiaries of Textron Systems--announced in December the official opening of two Huntsville, Ala., laboratories that will develop teaming technologies and help the military devise tactics for their use.

The Integration and Collaboration Laboratory will help the Army and other services evaluate unmanned platforms and the technologies for controlling them from the ground and from the cockpit of manned aircraft.

The Manned/Unmanned Operations Capability Development Laboratory will focus on the development of tactics. Using a Kiowa Warrior simulator linked to unmanned aircraft, it will allow for the evaluation of teaming operations without the need for manned flights.

Currently, two combat aviation brigades are overseas flying OH-58 Kiowa Warriors teamed with Shadow drones. The labs were designed to take after-action reports from pilots in those units and use the information to drive its experimentation with pairing manned and unmanned aircraft, said Peter Blocker, AAI's vice president of operations at the Huntsville facilities.

"Coming out of [Afghanistan], there will be lots of lessons learned about how these should be used," he said. "There will be pieces of technology that can be added to both platforms."

The labs are situated adjacent to Ft. Rucker, home of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence. That proximity to Army pilots and aviation leaders will be helpful, said Bill Irby, senior vice president and general manager of AAI unmanned...