Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, has converted a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter into the S-70UAS U-Hawk, an autonomous unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with 25% more cargo space than the original model. The transformation was completed in under a year and replaces the traditional cockpit with actuated clamshell doors and a ramp, as well as introducing a fly-by-wire system integrated with MATRIX autonomy technology.
The new U-Hawk was presented at the Association of the United States Army exposition. Its redesigned cabin allows for longer cargo such as missiles, roll-on/roll-off supplies, uncrewed ground vehicles, and swarms of reconnaissance or strike drones. It can also carry internal fuel tanks to increase its operational range.
“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 modification were led by Sikorsky Innovations, the company’s rapid prototyping group. The first flight of the U-Hawk is scheduled for 2026.
Removing the cockpit and other internal components has increased cargo capacity by 25%. The U-Hawk can accommodate oversized loads up to its maximum gross weight, transport up to four Joint Modular Intermodal Containers (compared to two on the standard Black Hawk), carry missile pods, deploy sensor or munition-carrying drones, self-deploy over 1,600 nautical miles, or loiter for up to 14 hours without refueling. It retains side-door loading capability and can externally lift up to 9,000 pounds.
Operators control the U-Hawk using a tablet that manages all phases from start-up to shut down. The aircraft’s MATRIX autonomy system creates flight plans based on mission goals input by the operator and navigates using cameras, sensors, and 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, 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.”
More information about the U-Hawk is available at https://lockheedmartin.com/uhawk.
Lockheed Martin describes itself as a global defense technology company focused on delivering advanced technologies to support national security efforts worldwide.
