The US Department of War released a surprising new video showing Secretary Pete Hegseth remotely piloting a UH 60 Black Hawk helicopter using nothing more than a touchscreen display. The footage, recorded on November 14, 2025, offers a rare look at how quickly military aviation is shifting toward remote and autonomous operations.
The demonstration took place inside DARPA headquarters, where Hegseth guided the helicopter through a live video feed streamed from the aircraft. Officials say the test represents a major step toward fielding helicopters that can be flown remotely in high risk or contested environments, reducing the need to put pilots in harm’s way.
The UH 60 used for the trial was equipped with the Aircrew Labor In Cockpit Automation System, or ALIAS, a DARPA program developed with Sikorsky. ALIAS brings advanced autonomy to existing helicopters by combining fly by wire controls, sensor fusion, automated mission planning, and machine learning. It is designed so helicopters can operate with fewer crew members or, in some missions, none at all.
The roots of the program go back to 2022, when an ALIAS equipped UH 60A completed a fully autonomous flight without pilots onboard. That breakthrough showed the aircraft could independently take off, navigate, and land. Since then, DARPA and Sikorsky have expanded the system to support remote operation, allowing a human operator to fly the aircraft through a simplified digital interface.
A preview of these capabilities reached the public in October 2024 at the Association of the United States Army conference. Sikorsky used that event to show its MATRIX autonomy suite executing missions based on commands delivered through a tablet linked datalink. Once the instructions were received, the Black Hawk performed all maneuvers using onboard autonomy.
What sets the latest test apart is the direct human control at a distance. Hegseth used a console displaying real time video and sensor data to guide the helicopter from afar. Each movement of the aircraft came from touchscreen inputs, showing just how far remote helicopter technology has progressed.
The Black Hawk has served the US Army since the late 1970s, becoming its most widely used utility helicopter. As air defenses and electronic warfare threats grow, flying crewed aircraft into contested zones is becoming more dangerous. Remote operated Black Hawks could allow critical missions to continue without exposing pilots to those risks.
DARPA’s next steps include field testing, doctrine development, and cybersecurity work. After this latest milestone, the path toward uncrewed Black Hawks controlled from a distance looks increasingly real.