Overview
- A U.S. Army National Guard sergeant first class with no pilot training learned the tablet interface in under an hour and then planned and commanded missions of an Optionally Piloted Black Hawk, Sikorsky said.
- During August’s Northern Strike 25-2 at Camp Grayling, the aircraft transported a 2,900‑pound slingload, executed precision logistics drops, and conducted a simulated medical evacuation.
- The helicopter delivered airborne troops at different altitudes and was remotely directed from a U.S. Coast Guard vessel roughly 70 nautical miles away on Lake Huron.
- Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin reported a first-time series of six hookups and drop-offs of HIMARS launch tubes as part of the demonstrations.
- MATRIX, developed with DARPA under the ALIAS program, enables the Black Hawk to shift between piloted and autonomous modes, with further testing ongoing and no service acquisition decision announced.