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The iconic Black Hawk helicopter made by Sikorsky is getting a high-tech upgrade after a fully autonomous, unmanned variant known as the U-Hawk was unveiled this week.
The U-Hawk helicopter went from concept to reality in ten months and is on track for its maiden flight in 2026. It debuted with an exhibit at the Association of the US Army (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, D.C.
Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martinrefers to the helicopter as the S-70 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), or U-Hawk for short. The unmanned variant increases the cargo capacity of the helicopter while increasing its availability due to the lack of a crew requiring downtime.
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Sikorsky began developing the autonomous capability for Black Hawk helicopters in collaboration with DARPA’s ALIAS program to add a drop-in, removable system that can automate systems that reduce the need for onboard personnel – a process that led to the development of Sikorsky’s MATRIX technology.
At last year’s AUSA, Sikorsky demonstrated that capability, flying a modified Black Hawk autonomously from more than 300 miles away, drawing interest from the military and other potential commercial customers. Late last year, Sikorsky purchased a UH-60L Black Hawk from the Army in December and began updating it to the U-Hawk concepta process that took ten months.
“We decided we were going to go with clamshell doors, so we had the two top doors that open, and then the floor actually forms the ramp that drops down,” Bentley explained. “That allows us to literally drive UGVs, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and whatever else on the plane.”
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Bentley said the U-Hawk can carry more than 7,000 pounds internally, while Sikorsky kept the cargo hook on the underside of the plane, which is rated at 9,000 pounds. Bentley said they believe the aircraft is equipped for 10,000 pounds combined with internal and external loads, given the aircraft’s maximum gross weight.
The U-Hawk is designed to conduct contested logistics missions, flying into enemy airspace to deliver needed supplies to military personnel at risk.
The company is developing air-launched effects, which shoot smaller drones out of canisters on board so they can be deployed in the field and fill roles such as threat detection and counter-drone capabilities, as well as kinetic or non-kinetic effects. These can be deployed on the U-Hawk, but also on manned Black Hawks, other aircraft, vehicles or ships.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
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| LMT | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. | 494.95 | +1.86 |
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Other possible use cases for the U-Hawk that Sikorsky has identified include fighting forest fires. Bentley said the company has partnered with Rain, a California-based autonomous wildfire technology company, to deploy MATRIX technology in manned and unmanned aircraft to detect wildfires, develop suppression plans and coordinate water drops.
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He also said the U-Hawk’s cargo capacity and ability to operate without a crew could be useful humanitarian support operations, delivering medical supplies or other items needed for emergency relief in disaster-affected areas.
Two New Jersey Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collect water to drop on a wildfire in Lacey Township, New Jersey, on April 24, 2025. (Adam Gray/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Bentley said that because the U-Hawk is unmanned, it increases the ability to use the aircraft about twice as much in a 24-hour period than if it used human crews.
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In response to interest from the military and other departments of the Pentagon, as well as international customers, Bentley said Sikorsky plans to ramp up its production line for the U-Hawk in 2026, with deliveries beginning in 2027.
