By Dean Murray

A regular military member has flown a remote-control Black Hawk helicopter after less than an hour's training.

A U.S. Army National Guard Sergeant First Class became the first to independently plan, command and execute one of the OPV's (Optionally Piloted Vehicle) missions using the system’s handheld tablet.

A National Guardsman has flown a remote-control Black Hawk helicopter after less than an hour's training. (Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin via SWNS) By Talker

He directed the payload to a location 70 nautical miles away and commanded multiple precision airborne drops, marking the first time OPV Black Hawk operated fully under the control of a soldier, instead of a trained test pilot or engineer.

The test mission was carried out at this year's Northern Strike , the

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