Video: Game Changer: Black Hawk achieves fully autonomous flight milestone

On Monday, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, announced the successful flight testing and delivery of the U.S. Army’s experimental UH‑60MX Black Hawk helicopter fully integrated with the company’s MATRIX autonomy suite.

The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command will use the MX aircraft to test and evaluate autonomy capabilities, underscoring the Army’s commitment to fielding platforms that can seamlessly transition between manned, optionally piloted and fully autonomous modes.

“The Army now has a new tool that furthers its vision laid out in the Army Transformation Initiative to mature and qualify pilot‑supported autonomy,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager, Sikorsky. “This capability will enhance mission effectiveness and survivability for warfighters today and lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s networked systems.”

The MX aircraft mirrors Sikorsky’s UH-60A fly-by-wire Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter, which has been tested by Sikorsky and Army aviators over hundreds of flight hours and was commanded by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in November.

Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy kit has been installed on all three Army Black Hawk models, the 60A, 60L and 60M. The delivery to the U.S. Army is the first full authority fly-by-wire and optionally piloted UH-60 in the U.S. Army’s fleet.

Key Benefits

Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite is a priority in the company’s autonomy strategy and Lockheed Martin’s 21st Century Security^® vision, which includes modernizing the Black Hawk helicopter and introducing the S-70UAS U-Hawk to stay ahead of new and emerging threats.

MATRIX enables:

Improved Mission Effectiveness – Automated landing zone detection and obstacle avoidance enable safe operations in degraded visual environments, expanding the tactical envelope for Army missions.

Improved Aircraft Survivability – Real‑time terrain and obstacle awareness helps pilots and autonomous systems avoid threats, reducing exposure to hostile fire and hazardous terrain.

Improved Sustainment – The open-architecture design reduces maintenance hours, resulting in a measurable reduction in lifecycle costs.

Reduced Pilot Workload – Automation of routine flight‑control tasks allows pilots to focus on mission-critical decisions, increasing overall sortie effectiveness.

Foundational Infrastructure for Future Autonomy – MATRIX establishes a scalable baseline for emerging capabilities such as launched effects, contested logistics and fully optionally‑piloted or uncrewed operations.