Autonomous RUC-60 Black Hawk Testing Expands

Honeywell, Moog, and XP Services are collaborating to convert a Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk into the RUC-60, equipped with Near Earth Autonomy’s Captain architecture autonomy system. Mission flight testing is expected this year, following earlier integration work and flights of the responsive uncrewed capability (RUC) Black Hawk to prepare for the next phase of testing.

Autonomous helicopters are gaining interest among defense organizations, particularly for their ability to sustain forces without risking human crew members.

“Near Earth is leading the integration of autonomy into the next generation of military operations,” said Lyle Chamberlain, the company’s chief technology officer. “Once you remove the pilot, you have to re-evaluate the entire operation, everything from how the aircraft gets out of the hangar to how it navigates and makes mission-critical decisions in flight.

“Autonomy isn’t just about flight control; it has to take on the full role of the crew, including responsibilities we often take for granted. That’s why we built the Captain autonomy architecture from the ground up to support end-to-end operations and meet the rigorous accreditation standards needed for real-world deployment.”

The RUC-60 demonstrated fully automated flight last year. Near Earth has been working on an uncrewed Black Hawk since 2021 and has completed more than 10,000 autonomy flights with 140 helicopters, including aircraft from Airbus, Bell, Boeing, Kaman, and Leonardo.

Deploying as a kit to convert UH-60L helicopters, the RUC-60 will include Moog’s Genesys GRC 4000 four-axis autopilot. More than 700 U.S. Army UH-60Ls are expected to retire in the coming years, according to Near Earth.