US EditionSikorsky turns the venerable Black Hawk into a true unmanned aircraft
Sikorsky developed the unmanned Black Hawk in under a year to support combat and logistics with versatile payload options, showcasing autonomous flight at the AUSA conference.
- On October 13, Sikorsky unveiled the S-70 UAS, nicknamed the U-Hawk, at the Association of the United States Army exposition in Washington, D.C., converting an ex-U.S. Army UH-60L into a fully uncrewed prototype in under a year.
- Sikorsky pursued the U-Hawk after program losses and canceled Army efforts, accelerating it after losing the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft competition to Textron’s Bell and the Army canceled the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program last year.
- By removing the cockpit, Sikorsky redesigned the Black Hawk to add cargo capacity and a drive-on ramp, increasing internal volume by over 20% and carrying up to four Joint Modular Intermodal Containers.
- A tablet gives an operator full command of the U-Hawk, enabling autonomous missions via the MATRIX autonomy suite with a tablet-operated minimally trained operator; the aircraft can self-deploy 1,600 nautical miles and endurance 14 hours, with first flight next year.
- The move positions the U-Hawk as a flexible logistics and combat-support platform, leveraging UH-60 commonality to reduce costs and support missions through at least 2070.
22 Articles
22 Articles
At AUSA 2025, Sikorsky unveiled the S-70UAS U-Hawk. It is an unmanned version of the UH-60L Black Hawk. Powered by the MATRIX system, it performs logistics, surveillance, and drone missions. The cockpit has been removed, increasing space by 25%. It can fly for 14 hours. First flight in 2026. It will save lives.
Sikorsky unveils new autonomous Black Hawk helicopter
Sikorsky unveiled its newest Black Hawk helicopter on Monday, which no longer requires a pilot to fly it, making it effectively a large drone. The new S-70UAS U-Hawk, which was on display at this week’s Association of the United States Army exposition in Washington, D.C., has 25% more cargo space than a typical Black Hawk because it doesn’t need a cockpit, any seats, or crew stations. The prototype on display on Monday featured an uncrewed groun…
Sikorsky's new S70 UHawk is a Black Hawk, but without the pilot - Breaking Defense
“Basically what we’ve done is we have taken a [UH60L] Black Hawk, and using our MATRIX autonomy system, have turned this aircraft into a UAS,” Erskine “Ramsey” Bentley, director of strategy and business development for Sikorsky Advanced Programs, said.
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