Crashed US Army Black Hawk did ‘not have any AI capability’
The recent crash between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines commuter jet over the Potomac River was a tragedy. It’s one most likely caused by human error, not the result of the Army’s experimentation with artificial intelligence.
In the days since the crash, through written statements and press briefings, government and military officials have confirmed that the UH-60M Black Hawk flying that night was not equipped with any experimental AI systems.
The chief of staff at the Headquarters Department of the Army Aviation Directorate told DefenseScoop that any testing with AI agents piloting aircraft is always conducted far from populated areas, just in case an incident occurs.
The Army is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, and Sikorsky to install an autonomous system known as MATRIX into Black Hawks. However, the contract was just signed in October 2024, with work set to begin sometime in 2025.
Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, began flying helicopters with MATRIX and no pilots in 2022. However, that testing is taking place in locations such as the proving grounds in Yuma, Arizona. That’s almost 2,500 miles from Washington.
MATRIX is one of several AI agents DARPA is developing to reduce pilots’ cognitive loads and help them concentrate on the mission at hand.