Lockheed Martin’s MATRIX autonomy kit for the long-serving UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters made its exercise debut during the Northern Strike 25-2 held in Michigan.
The soldier who commanded the MATRIX-fitted UH-60 was not a trained pilot, but a US Army National Guard Sergeant First Class. Lockheed Martin stated that the training for the MATRIX interface took an hour. The control panel for MATRIX can be described as having the same size as a large tablet.
Additionally, the UH-60 Black Hawk with MATRIX was used for the following missions:
- Cargo drop to a location 130 km away, followed by a para-drop of two soldiers from the autonomously flying helicopter
- Sling-loading a 1315 kg payload autonomously
- Six consecutive sling-loads of HIMARS launch tubes, followed by a simulated MEDEVAC
U-Hawk as the Next Step
During AUSA 2025, Sikorsky unveiled the U-Hawk derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk with major modifications for unmanned use. The important changes include the removal of the cockpit and the replacement of the canopy with a clamshell cargo door. Due to the removal of components required for manned use and reduction in weight, U-Hawk has a higher payload capacity and endurance compared to the legacy Black Hawk.
The maximum internal payload capacity is 4000 kg, while the endurance can go up to 14 hours.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
