Was the helicopter involved in the Washington DC plane crash being flown autonomously?

The Washington Post – Officials believe that all passengers and crew onboard American Eagle Flight 5342, which collided midair Wednesday evening with an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport, were killed, and are pivoting search-and-rescue teams to recovery operations. “At this point, we don’t believe there are any survivors from this accident,” D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said Thursday at a news conference, adding that rescue teams have recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one body from the helicopter. The PSA Airlines-operated American Airlines aircraft was flying from Wichita to National Airport with 60 passengers and four crew members, and the helicopter was on a training flight with three service members on board.

Lockheed Martin – How do you command a Black Hawk® helicopter to perform a mission autonomously from 300 miles (480 km) away?

Quite simply, by using a tablet connected to the aircraft via datalink.

During the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., (Association of the United States Army 2024), visitors and U.S. Army senior leaders saw how a Black Hawk helicopter integrated with Sikorsky's MATRIX™ autonomy system can receive remote mission commands in real-time. Then, carry out that mission on its own, using its onboard autonomous systems, without remote control or pilot inputs.

The MATRIX system is unique because it's not a simple flight director following a planned route. Instead, the system acts fully independently, reacting to the dynamic combat environment to avoid threats, optimize routing, and execute emergency procedures if necessary.