A U.S. soldier was put in charge of planning and executing missions with the optionally piloted Black Hawk helicopter in lieu of a trained aviator.
Sikorsky has announced a new demonstration of the capabilities of its optionally piloted Black Hawk helicopter (OPV), powered by MATRIX technology, and what it could bring to the battlefield. During the recent Northern Strike 25-2 exercise, held in Michigan in August 2025, a U.S. Army National Guard soldier was put in charge of mission planning and execution with the Black Hawk OPV instead of a trained aviator or engineer.
the demonstration
Sikorsky explained the scenario created in collaboration with the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Association (DARPA), and was intended to demonstrate, in an operational environment, how an autonomous Black Hawk can expand mission reach and reduce risk to soldiers.
The company said a sergeant first class was trained in less than an hour on how to operate the system, before becoming the first soldier to independently plan, command and execute OPV Black Hawk missions using the system’s portable tablet. Specifically, as part of the exercise, he directed the payload to a location 70 nautical miles away and ordered multiple precision airdrops.
Sikorsky further noted that this was the first time the OPV Black Hawk operated entirely under the control of an actual fighter, rather than a trained pilot or test engineer. In fact, this made it possible to demonstrate the maturity and ease of operation of the autonomous helicopter, without the need for long specialized training.
Something similar was already demonstrated with the same helicopter and tablet, although on a smaller scale, when Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems President Stephanie Hill controlled the OPV Black Hawk at the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) symposium in Washington DC on October 17, 2024. On that occasion, the tablet was connected via a data link to the helicopter 300 miles (483 km) away, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
On the other hand, in the August exercise scenario, the helicopter demonstrated three types of cargo delivery, including internal transportation, external sling loading and precision parachute drop, as well as a medical evacuation exercise. It is unclear if there were security pilots present inside the cockpit, however it appears there were soldiers on board as well.
Here is an excerpt from Sikorsky’s press release detailing the helicopter’s operations during Northern Strike 25-2:
Exercise 1: Parachute drops and logistical recovery
From a Coast Guard cutter on Lake Huron, a Soldier planned and executed a Class 1 resupply mission from 70 nautical miles away. After unloading the cargo, he used the tablet interface to steer the OPV Black Hawk in racetrack patterns over the lake while soldiers on board completed two precision parachute drops at different altitudes. It was the first time the OPV Black Hawk performed precision logistics and airdrops completely under Soldier control.
Exercise 2: Water Buffalo External Sling Load
OPV Black Hawk completed its first autonomous connection of an external charge in the air. Using its hover stability capabilities, the aircraft maintained its position as soldiers quickly and efficiently attached a 2,900-pound water tank without pilot intervention. The demonstration demonstrated that a MATRIX-equipped aircraft can perform complex aerial refueling missions on the ground.
Exercise 3: HIMARS External Sling Loading and MEDEVAC Recovery
OPV Black Hawk completed six autonomous floating docks to transport the HIMARS launch tubes to an alternate landing zone. A soldier then used OPV Black Hawk to perform a simulated personnel recovery, including a tail-to-tail patient transfer to a piloted Black Hawk at an unimproved landing site. This was the first time an untrained soldier commanded an autonomous MEDEVAC recovery from inside the Black Hawk OPV aircraft.
Black Hawk IPO
Five years ago, a UH-60A helicopter was retrofitted to an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) configuration as part of the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program. In 2022, the helicopter made flights without anyone on board over the US Army installation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The ALIAS program aims to address military aviation challenges by reducing pilot workload and improving mission performance through advanced automation. The MATRIX autonomy system forms the technological foundation of ALIAS, combined with enhanced flight controls to enable fully autonomous operations from takeoff to landing, as well as management of emergency situations.
“With lives at stake, Sikorsky’s MATRIX flight autonomy system can transform the way military operators conduct their missions,” said Rich Benton, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. “An optionally piloted Black Hawk aircraft can reduce pilot workload in a challenging environment or complete a resupply mission without humans on board. In challenging logistics situations, a Black Hawk operating as a large drone offers commanders greater resilience and flexibility to get resources to the point where they are needed.”
Such a system would allow complex missions to be safely executed in challenging environments, as autonomous flight capabilities would allow pilots to shift focus from technical tasks related to piloting to strategic mission management. The system has been extensively tested and has demonstrated its ability to navigate complex environments and execute missions with minimal human intervention.
S-70UAS U-Hawk
The announcement of the test success comes just weeks after Sikorsky announced the new prototype of an unmanned Black Hawk, called S-70UAS U-Hawk, during this year’s edition of AUSA. This new step toward a fully autonomous utility helicopter builds on years of experimentation with the MATRIX autonomy suite and optionally piloted Black Hawk.
The system uses a low-cost, third-generation fly-by-wire architecture integrated with MATRIX autonomy technology to enable uncrewed flights. Like the Black Hawk OPV, the U-Hawk is designed to operate from a tablet interface that manages all phases of flight, from startup to shutdown.
The U-Hawk replaces the Black Hawk’s cockpit with powered clamshell doors and a forward loading ramp, resulting in 25 percent more cargo space than a conventional UH-60L. In the configuration shown in official photographs, the clamshell “nose” opens up and outward, revealing a flat cargo compartment where vehicles or supplies can be loaded directly from the front.
The ramp can be lowered for driving operations or sealed for flight, giving the aircraft a clean, streamlined profile with no cabin glazing. This redesign eliminates the traditional two-seat crew station and makes the forward fuselage an integral part of the cargo area.
By eliminating the cockpit and crew stations, the U-Hawk gains additional internal volume and flexibility for a variety of mission types. The aircraft can now accommodate oversized cargo up to its maximum gross weight, automatically deploy over 1,600 nautical miles or loiter for up to 14 hours without refueling.
