A video posted on the U.S. Department of War’s official X account shows Secretary Pete Hegseth remotely piloting a UH-60 Black Hawk from a television screen at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) headquarters. The demonstration signals a major step toward more flexible, autonomous, and optionally manned military aviation.
A video released on November 14, 2025, by the U.S. Department of War offers a rare look inside a next-generation flight control trial, with Secretary Pete Hegseth operating a UH-60 Black Hawk from a television screen at U.S. DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) headquarters. The footage shows Hegseth guiding the helicopter via a television touchscreen while watching a live forward camera feed, a setup that officials described as part of an ongoing push to test remote flight operations in contested environments and for high-risk missions.
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U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth operates a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter remotely via a video screen during a live demonstration at DARPA headquarters, November 14, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)
The U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth controlled the helicopter entirely via remote interface, without any physical visibility of the aircraft, while two U.S. Army pilots remained onboard as a precautionary backup but never touched the flight controls. The event marked the first time a senior U.S. official has operated a military helicopter remotely, symbolizing the Pentagon’s shift toward human-machine integration on future battlefields.
The demonstration took place at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense’s innovation incubator responsible for pioneering some of the most transformative technologies in military history, from GPS and stealth aircraft to the earliest versions of the internet. DARPA operates with a mandate to take high-risk, high-reward bets on emerging defense capabilities. Its focus is not on building fielded systems, but on proving that new technologies can work and then handing them off to the military services for further development and acquisition. This latest Black Hawk test reflects exactly that mission: turning cutting-edge research into practical, warfighter-ready solutions.
The helicopter used in the demonstration was equipped with the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS), a DARPA-led program developed in partnership with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. ALIAS introduces autonomous flight capabilities to legacy rotorcraft, enabling them to operate with reduced or no onboard crew. The system combines advanced fly-by-wire controls, real-time sensor fusion, machine learning algorithms, and mission planning software. The evolution of this technology began with fully autonomous flight trials in 2022, when an ALIAS-equipped UH-60A flew without any pilots aboard. That milestone proved that an uncrewed helicopter could take off, fly a route, and land safely. Since then, DARPA and Sikorsky have refined the system to allow human pilots to operate aircraft remotely through intuitive control stations, bridging autonomy with remote command.
In a significant preview of these capabilities, Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky division demonstrated a similar level of autonomous control in October 2024 during the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. At AUSA 2024, Army leaders and defense industry observers saw a Black Hawk helicopter integrated with Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ autonomy system execute missions without pilot input. The aircraft received mission commands through a tablet connected via datalink, then independently carried out complex flight operations using only its onboard autonomous systems. This real-time demonstration illustrated how quickly autonomous aviation is moving from concept to deployable technology and how legacy aircraft can be transformed into intelligent platforms capable of navigating and responding without human intervention.
What made the November 2025 DARPA test unique was the human element. The aircraft responded to Hegseth’s inputs via a console fed by the helicopter’s onboard sensors and navigation systems. From the control station, he directed every movement of the helicopter using only the live video feed and interface controls. It was a moment that demonstrated the maturity of remote operation in a tactical setting.
The UH-60 Black Hawk has long served as the backbone of U.S. Army rotary-wing aviation. First fielded in the late 1970s, this twin-engine, medium-lift helicopter replaced the Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey and has since become the Army’s principal utility helicopter. More than 2,000 Black Hawks are currently in service across active-duty, National Guard, and Reserve components. Designed for flexibility, the Black Hawk is used in air assault, medical evacuation, troop transport, command and control, resupply, and special operations missions. It has earned its reputation in combat zones from Iraq and Afghanistan to Syria and the Horn of Africa.
In today’s evolving battlespace, the risks associated with crewed flight are growing. Near-peer adversaries like China and Russia field increasingly advanced air defense and electronic warfare systems. In such environments, the ability to fly rotary aircraft without onboard crew could prove critical. Remote-piloted Black Hawks offer a way to conduct high-risk missions while minimizing exposure to personnel. The ability to launch and control helicopters from standoff distances also opens new possibilities for logistics, reconnaissance, and combat support in denied areas.
DARPA’s next step is to transition this technology into service-level programs. That process will require further testing, validation under field conditions, and the development of doctrine, training, and cybersecurity safeguards. But after this public demonstration, the direction is clear. The Black Hawk, a workhorse of American military power for nearly five decades, is entering a new chapter. One where it can fly without a pilot onboard, responding instead to commands issued from a video screen or a battlefield tablet, far from the dangers of the front line.
Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.