{"id":2678,"date":"2026-05-07T07:58:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/?p=2678"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:40:18","slug":"sikorsky-delivers-first-autonomous-capable-h-60mx-black-hawk-to-us-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/?p=2678","title":{"rendered":"Sikorsky delivers first autonomous-capable H-60Mx Black Hawk to US Army"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US Army has taken delivery of the first H-60Mx Black Hawk helicopter, which features modifications allowing operation with or without a pilot at the controls.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next-generation aircraft, \u201cOptimally Piloted Vehicle\u201d (OPV), has begun the advanced operational testing phase, the US Army said in a statement on 19 March 2026.<\/p>\n

Central to the helicopter\u2019s new functionality is technology developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency\u2019s (DARPA) Aircrew Labour In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme.<\/p>\n

This programme aims to create an adaptable automation kit for existing aircraft, with the goals of simplifying flight operations and enabling pilots to concentrate on higher-level mission objectives.<\/p>\n

Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, worked in partnership with DARPA throughout the ALIAS programme, resulting in the development of its MATRIX autonomy system.<\/p>\n

After years of demonstration on both military and commercial platforms, this technology has progressed from concept to a robust system now ready for formal assessment by military personnel.<\/p>\n

DARPA tactical technology office ALIAS programme manager Stuart Young said: \u201cThe ALIAS programme has successfully developed and demonstrated a powerful, flexible automation architecture that is now poised to provide the US Army with a significant operational edge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis transition is a testament to the power of government and industry partnership to advance technology. It will allow the Army to build on a solid foundation of technical-risk reduction, enabling them to explore new warfighting concepts and push the boundaries of what\u2019s possible in aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The OPV kit delivered includes the MATRIX Autonomy Mission Manager and a Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows integration of third-party software and new sensor technologies.<\/p>\n

This approach intends to facilitate ongoing upgrades and adaptation across current aviation assets.<\/p>\n

The upgrade replaces the Black Hawk\u2019s traditional mechanical flight controls with electronic \u201cfly-by-wire\u201d systems, which improve stability and handling, especially in low-visibility conditions.<\/p>\n

Army test pilots and engineers will undertake a series of trials over coming months to assess remote ground control, autonomous mission execution, and the potential impact on soldier safety and mission effectiveness.<\/p>\n

The aircraft serves as the principal test platform for the Army\u2019s Strategic Autonomy Flight Enabler (SAFE) programme. This programme seeks to develop a scalable autonomy kit for installation across the Army\u2019s entire Black Hawk fleet and future aircraft models.<\/p>\n

The state of Texas is also involved in advancing this technology by sponsoring multi-year autonomous flight research through the Texas A&M University System\u2019s Bush Combat Development Complex.<\/p>\n

This project uses modified UH-60L helicopters to explore autonomous applications for wildland firefighting and other state missions.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Sikorsky\u00a0secured a contract\u00a0to equip the US Army\u2019s experimental fly-by-wire UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter with its Matrix flight autonomy system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US Army has taken delivery of the first H-60Mx Black Hawk helicopter, which features modifications allowing operation with or without a pilot at the controls. The next-generation aircraft, \u201cOptimally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[509,508],"class_list":["post-2678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-military-tech","tag-autonomous-capable-h-60","tag-sikorksy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SIKORSKY-AUTONOMOUS-SYSTEM-BLACK-HAWK.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2678"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2979,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2678\/revisions\/2979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedefencenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}