July 31, 2025 – BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Texas Legislature recently appropriated $59.8 million for the Texas A&M University System’s George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex to develop a way to use pilotless Blackhawk helicopters to combat wildfires.
The project is intended to revolutionize how Texas responds to the wildfires that ravage the state every year. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, selected the Texas A&M System to collaborate on the agency’s Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System, better known as ALIAS.
“The Texas A&M System always steps up,” Robert Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M System’s Board of Regents, said. “We have the know-how. We have the drive. And we are ready to do our part for the state.”
Chancellor Glenn Hegar agreed.
“We see it every year. Texas gets more than its share of disasters, and we at the Texas A&M System promise to continue our work to leverage the latest technologies and innovative ideas to make our great state as safe as possible,” Hegar said. “I also need to mention that this project would not be possible without the hard work of our top state officials, in particular Chairman Greg Bonnen. We appreciate their dedication to the well-being of Texans.”
In addition to the Bush Combat Development Complex, or BCDC, key contributors include Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi’s Autonomy Research Institute, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station.
“The Texas A&M System is ready to lead this initiative due to our extensive technical and firefighting expertise across multiple universities and state agencies,” Hegar said. “This is the latest example of how the Texas A&M System provides valuable services to the state.”
BCDC Director Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Tim Green said he is excited for the System to have an opportunity to build upon critical advancements in autonomous helicopter development.
“I am proud we are working with DARPA in a manner that will benefit Texas, the Department of Defense, and commercial industry,” Green said. “Wildland firefighting will be the first mission application fully developed to take advantage of over a decade of work by DARPA on its Aircrew Labor In-cockpit Automation System (ALIAS).”
DARPA’s ALIAS program, launched in 2013, has successfully demonstrated fully autonomous flight capabilities on approximately 20 aircraft platforms. The automation toolkit, known as MATRIX, was developed by Sikorsky and will be a cornerstone of the Texas initiative, alongside DARPA and Sikorsky as key partners.
The funding will support the acquisition and autonomous configuration of up to four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, as well as the development of facilities, tools, and equipment necessary for research, testing, and integration of firefighting capabilities over the next two years.
The goal of the ALIAS program is to enable high-risk missions—such as firefighting and combat operations—while reducing the risk to pilots and aircraft, minimizing operational costs and wear on aircraft, and maximizing flight availability. BCDC’s testing of ALIAS-equipped aircraft will include aircraft working in fully automated (no pilots) and semi-automated (only one pilot, using AI as their “co-pilot”) as they conduct highly complex firefighting tasks using one or more ALIAS equipped aircraft working concurrently.
“Advancing system capabilities through the last stages of technology maturation, operational testing, and concept development is always hugely exciting and rewarding,” said John Diem, Director of the Innovation Proving Grounds at BCDC, who will serve as Principal Investigator for the ALIAS project. “The best part of my career has been seeing systems I tested move into the hands of warfighters. Now, I’m proud to help ensure ALIAS is safe and effective in protecting life and property – and we will do that through realistic and challenging testing.”
Located on the 3,300-acre Texas A&M-RELLIS Campus near Bryan, Texas, BCDC represents a $300 million investment from the State of Texas and TAMUS. Since 2019, BCDC has partnered with Army Futures Command and other defense and academic institutions to accelerate the development of critical national security technologies, including autonomous vehicles and hypersonics.
