U.S. Soldier Takes Control of Autonomous Black Hawk During Northern Strike 25

A U.S. soldier was put in charge of planning and executing missions with the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter instead of a trained aviator.

Sikorsky has announced a new demonstration of the capabilities of its Optionally Piloted (OPV) Black Hawk helicopter, powered by the MATRIX technology , and what it could bring to the battlefield. During the recent Northern Strike 25-2 exercise, held in Michigan in August 2025, a U.S. Army National Guard soldier was put in charge of the planning and execution of missions with the OPV Black Hawk instead of a trained aviator or engineer. Contents A U.S. soldier was put in charge of planning and executing missions with the Optionally Piloted Black Hawk helicopter instead of a trained aviator. The demonstration OPV Black Hawk S-70UA