Sikorsky Develops U-Hawk Autonomous Variant of Black Hawk

Our Bureau - : Oct 13, 2025 - : 11:38 pm

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Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has converted a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter into an autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designated the S-70UAS U-Hawk. Developed from concept to prototype in about 10 months, the aircraft features a redesigned fuselage that provides 25% more cargo space than the standard Black Hawk. The company replaced the cockpit with actuated clamshell doors and a loading ramp, and installed a third-generation fly-by-wire control system integrated with its MATRIX autonomy technology. The result is an aircraft configured to conduct uncrewed resupply and air assault missions.

The prototype, displayed at this week’s Association of the United States Army exposition, demonstrates an expanded cabin designed to accommodate larger payloads and a variety of mission profiles. It can transport long cargo such as missiles, load and unload uncrewed ground vehicles, roll on and off modular containers and supplies, and launch reconnaissance or strike drones. It can also carry additional internal fuel tanks to increase range or extend endurance.

“Sikorsky is innovating a 21st century solution by converting UH-60L Black Hawks into a fully autonomous utility platform,” said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. “We developed this prototype from concept to reality in under a year, and the modifications made to transform this crewed Black Hawk into a multi-mission payload UAS can be replicated at scale quickly and affordably. The U-Hawk continues the Black Hawk legacy of being the world’s premier utility aircraft and opens the door to new capabilities as a UAS.”

The redesign and structural conversion are being carried out by Sikorsky Innovations, the company’s rapid prototyping division. The first flight of the U-Hawk is expected in 2026. With the cockpit removed, the aircraft offers greater internal volume for cargo. The forward loading configuration and additional cabin space allow it to handle oversized payloads while maintaining the same maximum gross weight as the UH-60L.

The U-Hawk can carry an uncrewed ground vehicle such as the HDT Hunter Wolf 6x6 UGV, transport up to four Joint Modular Intermodal Containers—twice the number carried by a standard Black Hawk—or be configured to carry missile payloads, including a HIMARS pod of six rockets or two Naval Strike Missiles. It can also deploy launched effects carrying sensors or munitions from cabin-mounted quivers. According to Sikorsky, the aircraft is capable of self-deploying over 1,600 nautical miles or loitering for up to 14 hours without refuelling.

The U-Hawk retains the side-door cargo loading and external lift capability of the UH-60L, with a cargo hook rated for loads up to 9,000 pounds (4,080 kg). Operations are managed via a tablet interface that allows an operator to command the aircraft from start-up to shut-down. Cargo loading is automated through a button-controlled sequence that opens the clamshell doors and lowers the ramp, which reverses automatically before flight. Once the payload is secured, the operator inputs mission objectives into the MATRIX autonomy system, which generates a flight plan using onboard cameras, sensors and navigation algorithms.

“The U-Hawk offers a cost-effective utility UAS by leveraging commonality with the existing UH-60 fleet, and its uncrewed nature reduces both operating and maintenance costs,” said Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations. “We focused on efficiencies in the retrofit by designing and manufacturing vehicle management computers, actuation components and airframe modifications. We will incorporate those efficiencies into future modifications and manufacturing for our family of UAS products.”

Sikorsky / S-70uas-u-hawk /

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