The U.S. Army took possession of the H-60Mx Black Hawk Optionally Piloted Vehicle at Fort Eustis, Virginia, on March 19, 2026, capping a multi-year development effort between DARPA and Sikorsky that produced the service’s first fly-by-wire Black Hawk capable of operating without crew aboard.
Autonomous aviation milestone! 🚁
Our ALIAS flight system has transitioned to the U.S. Army. An optionally piloted H-60Mx Black Hawk with Sikorsky MATRIX™ autonomy is advancing to operational testing — a pivotal moment for a safer and smarter helicopter fleet. @jblenews pic.twitter.com/H451EmBQDf
— DARPA (@DARPA) March 20, 2026
Sikorsky built the H-60Mx on a standard UH-60M airframe, replacing conventional mechanical flight controls with a fly-by-wire electronic system and integrating the company’s MATRIX autonomy software.
DARPA funded the work through a $6 million contract awarded to Sikorsky in 2024. The fly-by-wire system stabilizes the aircraft in low-visibility conditions and automates demanding maneuvers, reducing the cognitive load on any crew present.
“The ALIAS program has successfully developed and demonstrated a powerful, flexible automation architecture that is now poised to provide the U.S. Army with a significant operational edge,” said Stuart Young, DARPA’s Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) program manager in the Tactical Technology Office.
The aircraft can operate with a full crew, a reduced crew, or no crew at all. At the 2024 Association of the United States Army symposium in Washington, D.C., Sikorsky demonstrated remote control of a UH-60 Black Hawk from 300 miles away using a tablet.
During the Northern Strike 25-2 exercise in 2025, a National Guard noncommissioned officer with no aviation background flew the helicopter in drone mode after less than one hour of instruction, Sikorsky officials said.
The Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) will operate the H-60Mx as a flying laboratory, maturing autonomous flight profiles and integrating mission-specific sensors. The aircraft will also underpin the Army’s Strategic Autonomy Flight Enabler (SAFE) program, which aims to field a universal autonomy kit across the service’s fleet of roughly 2,300 UH-60 Black Hawks.
“This capability will enhance mission effectiveness and survivability for warfighters today and lay the groundwork for tomorrow’s networked systems,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s vice president and general manager.
