Rotorcraft manufacturer Sikorsky will demonstrate its autonomous flight capability for the US Marine Corps (USMC) next year through a series of operational trials.
Demonstrations to be held throughout 2025 will see Sikorsky fly its specially modified Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk under the USMC’s Aerial Logistics Connector programme.
Sikorsky says it will use the demonstrations to show how autonomous aircraft can be used to provide logistical support to marine forces, operating from both naval ships and onshore expeditionary bases.
Marines will also have the chance to interface with Sikorsky’s autonomous aircraft via a tablet to make mission changes before or after take-off, the company says.
“With the Marine Corps, we will explore how an autonomy-based fleet of uncrewed aerial systems, rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft can sustain the expeditionary force with precision resupply during distributed, high-tempo operations,” says Rich Benton, who leads Sikorsky.
The OPV Black Hawk is a standard UH-60A that has been fitted with Sikorsky’s Matrix technology package, which include a fly-by-wire flight-control system, a separate flight computer for autonomous operations and a suite of sensors to provide data to that computer.
The system allows for fully autonomous flight, single-pilot operations or standard two-pilot flight. Sikorsky originally developed the technology for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), logging multiple flights since 2020.
DARPA and Sikorsky completed the first fully autonomous sortie with the OPV Black Hawk in 2022, including two flights without any pilot aboard. Previous tests had included human aviators as a safety back-up.
Notably, the company says the technology is not specific to the Black Hawk and could be paired with other rotorcraft models. Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky is a major vertical-lift supplier to the USMC, which operates Sikorsky’s latest CH-53K King Stallion and older CH-53Es.
“Aircraft with Matrix autonomy can safely and reliably perform a variety of complex missions, including internal and external cargo transport with no one on board,” says Benton.
Previous demonstration flights with the US Army have seen the OPV Black Hawk deliver ammunition and evacuate a simulated casualty.
Sikorsky was awarded $6 million grant from DARPA in October to modify a newer UH-60M with the OPV technology. That US Army-owned aircraft will be dubbed the UH-60MX for testing and evaluation.
Rival Airbus is also involved in the USMC’s Aerial Logistics Connector effort, with plans to modify the company’s standard H145-based UH-72B Lakota with autonomous flight capability and extra cargo space.
Leonardo is also participating in the programme, supporting a bid by US firm Near Earth Autonomy and Honeywell based on the airframer’s AW139 civil platform.
