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Autonomous Black Hawk copter now a battle-ready front-loader!

Engineers at Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, have been working for almost 10 years on perfecting the transformation of a Black Hawk helicopter into a fully autonomous, unmanned chopper. They've gone a big step further now by making it a robo front-loading craft too.

From concept to reality in 10 months, a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter has been converted into the S-70UAS U-Hawk, a versatile autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that has 25% more cargo space than a typical Black Hawk. Sikorsky replaced the cockpit section with actuated clamshell doors and a ramp. The engineers also swapped conventional flight controls with a third-generation, low-cost, fly-by-wire system integrated with MATRIX autonomy technology.

Redesign and structural modification of the UH-60L aircraft into its uncrewed U-Hawk configuration is led by rapid prototyping group Sikorsky Innovations. First flight is expected in 2026.

VIDEO: Introducing the S-70UAS U-Hawk autonomous helicopter. [Credit: Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company]

The new S-70UAS U-Hawk aircraft was on display last week (Oct. 13-15) at the Association of the United States Army exposition. The larger cabin space was designed to:

• Accept longer cargo, such as missiles;
• Drive on/off an uncrewed ground vehicle;
• Roll-on/off supplies;
• Launch swarms of reconnaissance or strike drones; and
• Carry internal fuel tanks for increased range or extended time on station.

"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," said Rich Benton, Sikorsky vice president and general manager. "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 forward-loading capability and additional usable cabin space of the U-Hawk aircraft now offers the flexibility to accommodate oversized loads up to the same maximum gross weight as a UH-60L Black Hawk. Load possibilities include:

• Air-ground team: Drive on/off an uncrewed ground vehicle, such as the HDT Hunter Wolf 6x6 UGV;
• Cargo: Transport up to four Joint Modular Intermodal Containers (vs. two today);
• Missile transport: Carry a HIMARS pod of six rockets or two Naval Strike Missiles;
• Launched effects: Deploy launched effects carrying sensors/munitions from quivers secured to the cabin; or
• Endurance: Self-deploy over 1,600 nautical miles or loiter for up to 14 hours without refueling.

Like a regular UH-60L aircraft, a U-Hawk variant retains the ability to load cargo from the side door and externally lift up to 9,000 lb using its cargo hook. The new UAS can carry up to 7,000 lb internally, or 10,000 lb combined between internal and external loads.

Autonomous tech
Matrix Technology is an architecture of software and hardware components, or "apps," that enable autonomous execution of complex missions in close proximity to obstacles at a new level of system reliability.

Designed to be platform independent, MATRIX technologies can be readily applied to benefit Sikorsky unpiloted or piloted vehicles as well as vehicles not originally designed by Sikorsky.

Matrix Technology addresses four fundamental challenges:

• Low-altitude, obstacle-rich autonomous flight;
• Multi-level contingency management to achieve a needed 100X improvement in levels of system reliability;
• A path to qualification or certification; and
• Lifecycle cost reduction.

Matrix was introduced in 2013 by Sikorsky to develop, test, and field hardware and software systems that aim to significantly improve optionally piloted and piloted VTOL aircraft. The Matrix Technology program is led by Sikorsky Innovations, the same rapid prototyping organization that in 2010 proved the physics of efficient 250-knot flight in a rotorcraft with its X2 Technology Demonstrator program.

The U-Hawk has operators, not pilots. A tablet gives an operator full command of the U-Hawk aircraft from startup to shut down. At the touch of a button, the two clamshell doors open and a ramp lowers to allow easy cargo loading or drive-on capability. To prepare for flight, the automated sequence is reversed.

Once loaded, an operator inputs mission goals via the tablet. The MATRIX autonomy system automatically generates a flight plan, relying on cameras, sensors, and algorithms to help navigate the U-Hawk aircraft safely to its destination.

By removing the cockpit, all seats, and crew stations from the aircraft, the U-Hawk helicopter becomes the first fully autonomous Black Hawk utility helicopter.

"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, Sikorsky Innovations director. "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."

Source: Lockheed Martin

Published October 2025

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