Sikorsky Advances Optionally Piloted and Autonomous Rotorcraft Development

Sikorsky has delivered an experimental UH-60MX Black Hawk helicopter equipped with its MATRIX autonomy suite to the US Army for further evaluation. The aircraft, a full-authority fly-by-wire, optionally piloted UH-60, will be used as a testbed to assess autonomy concepts and human-machine teaming. This delivery follows work funded by DARPA’s ALIAS program and builds on Sikorsky’s previous demonstrations of autonomous flight on a modified UH-60A Black Hawk. The UH-60MX program is part of the Army’s wider effort to modernize the Black Hawk fleet, which received a separate contract for digital architecture upgrades and preparations for the integration of launched effects and other uncrewed capabilities. (Credit: Sikorsky)