Vertical-lift manufacturer Sikorsky has demonstrated its autonomous flight technology for the US Marine Corps (USMC) using two separate rotorcraft.
Sikorsky's Matrix system allows for the conversion of conventional helicopters into autonomous-capable aircraft. The company has been flying its UH-60A Optionally Piloted Vehicle for several years, including multiple flights without a human pilot or safety observer onboard.
In 2024, Sikorsky was selected to demonstrate Matrix for the USMC's Aerial Logistics Connector programme, which aims to the deliver an unmanned logistics platform capable of autonomous ship-to-shore resupply.
Sikorsky on 9 September said it had completed those demonstrations, including flights with a UH-60 Black Hawk and an S-76 commercial helicopter at the company's headquarters in Stratford, Connecticut.
The tests began in a simulator, where the Matrix system executed fully autonomous flight missions and acted as a co-pilot for USMC aviators.
"During these assisted flights, pilots manually adjusted flightpaths in real time to assess the system's mission replanning capability," Sikorsky says. "They also evaluated the aircraft's ability to land with pinpoint precision on confined spaces in reduced visibility and brownout conditions."
Leaving the virtual world, the USMC team moved outside to the flightline, where they used a hand-held tablet to remotely manage the flight operations of the OPV Black Hawk and a Matrix-equipped S-76 named SARA, or Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft.
From a distance of nearly 7nm (13km), the UH-60A was directed to autonomously take off and deliver an external sling load to a designated landing zone near the ALC team.
The S-76 was separately instructed to navigate a virtual obstacle course before reaching its objective, according to Sikorsky.
"Running unscripted missions in both the simulator and outside gave ALC members insight into a proven optionally piloted system that can reliably take on all flight tasks or significantly reduce a human pilot's workload when weather conditions worsen or mission complexity increases," says Dan Shidler, director of Sikorsky Advanced Programs.
Notably, Shidler adds that the tablet control system allows for personnel who are not trained pilots to easily and safely re-task Matrix-equipped uncrewed aircraft.
Sikorsky developed Matrix in conjunction with the secretive Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Lockheed Martin subsidiary says Matrix will be a "foundational technology" for all its future vertical take-off and landing products.
The company has also positioned Matrix as a potential upgrade for the US Army's massive fleet of UH-60s, enabling those aircraft to conduct battlefield operations without an onboard pilot, as conditions warrant.
The Matrix system consists of a separate flight computer and fly-by-wire control system added into the existing airframe, enabling an equipped aircraft to operate in both conventionally piloted and autonomous modes.
Sikorsky was awarded a $6 million grant from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2024 to demonstrate the autonomous flight technology on a modern Black Hawk - dubbed the UH-60MX.
Competing against Sikorsky in the ALC effort are teams led by Airbus and Near Earth Autonomy.
Airbus is pitching a heavily modified version of the company's UH-72 utility helicopter, dubbed the MQ-72C. The H145-derivative will operate without any pilots on board, removing the cockpit to make space for cargo and using a Shield AI autonomy agent to manage flight operations autonomously.
Airbus is aiming to produce a minimum viable prototype of the design by 2028, with a final design to be ready by 2029.
Near Earth Autonomy is leading a team of Honeywell and Leonardo to compete a modified AW139 intermediate-twin civil helicopter for the ALC contract.