Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, announced on Monday, March 23, 2026, the delivery to the United States Army of the experimental UH-60MX Black Hawk helicopter fully integrated with the MATRIX autonomy suite, a technology that enables operations with automated assistance, optionally piloted flight, and progress toward increasingly autonomous missions.
The move is considered a major milestone for U.S. military aviation. According to the company, this is the first UH-60 in the U.S. Army fleet to combine a full-authority fly-by-wire system with optionally piloted capability, expanding the path toward future operations in which the aircraft can switch between crewed, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous modes.
In practice, the UH-60MX becomes a test platform for the future of rotary-wing air warfare. The aircraft will be used by the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) to evaluate how autonomous systems can be applied in combat and support missions, within the modernization strategy known as the Army Transformation Initiative.
For Sikorsky, the delivery represents more than a technical upgrade. The company states that integrating MATRIX into the Black Hawk can increase mission efficiency, reduce pilot workload, improve aircraft survivability in hostile environments, and lower maintenance costs thanks to the system’s open architecture.
Among the features highlighted by the manufacturer are automated landing zone detection, obstacle avoidance, real-time terrain mapping, and enhanced situational awareness in degraded environments, such as low-visibility operations or under direct threat. In a modern combat environment, this translates into greater responsiveness and reduced exposure to risk.
The UH-60MX mirrors work already carried out by Sikorsky with the UH-60A Optionally Piloted Black Hawk, a fly-by-wire platform that has already accumulated hundreds of test hours with company and U.S. Army pilots. The MATRIX kit, according to the company, has already been installed on the three Black Hawk variants used by the Army: UH-60A, UH-60L, and UH-60M.
The modernization of the UH-60MX was conducted throughout 2025, when the Army and Sikorsky worked together to install fly-by-wire controls and integrate the autonomy suite. Now, with the aircraft officially delivered, the military can advance in developing techniques, tactics, and procedures aimed at using optionally piloted and fully autonomous helicopters in future human-machine teaming formations.
Sikorsky also highlighted that MATRIX is at the core of its autonomy strategy and Lockheed Martin’s 21st Century Security vision, serving as a foundation for future applications in contested logistics, unmanned operations, and integration with new mission systems.
Another relevant point is that MATRIX forms the core of the ALIAS program by DARPA, an initiative focused on cockpit automation and reducing crew cognitive workload.
With this, the Black Hawk is no longer just a transport helicopter and now takes part in discussions about the next generation of intelligent military aircraft.
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Source and images: Lockheed Martin. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
