Sikorsky unveils S-70UAS U-Hawk – an autonomous Black Hawk

Lockheed appears to be positioning many of its products to directly meet stated US needs for the Indo-Pacific. The S-70UAS U-Hawk, for example, can provide logistics and reconnaissance capabilities in support of dispersed units, however, the challenge – as always – will be scale. 

Sikorsky has revealed its S-70UAS U-Hawk, an autonomous version of the UH-60L Black Hawk, designed to provide greater space for cargo and autonomous support for dispersed operations in an October 13 press release. The project has progressed from a concept to demonstrator in just ten months, the company states, and the first flight is expected in 2026. 

“The modifications made to transform this crewed Black Hawk into a multi-mission payload UAS can be replicated at scale quickly and affordably,” Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s Vice President and General Manager said. 

What are those modifications? Well, the cockpit is removed and replaced with additional cargo space – 25% more than a standard UH-60L – and a set of clamshell doors with a cargo ramp. The conventional flight controls are replaced with a fly-by-wire system. And the autonomy stack is provided by Lockheed’s MATRIX autonomy stack, which was developed in partnership with DARPA. 

MATRIX has already been integrated into a Black Hawk. In a 2024 demonstration, a Black Hawk was flown remotely from a base some 400 km away using Sikorsky’s MATRIX™ autonomy system and commands issued from a tablet over a datalink. MATRIX responds to live combat conditions based on its own understanding of the environment, according to Lockheed Martin, rather than following a set of pre-programmed waypoints. This indicates that there is a strong customer interest in this type of capability. 

The additional cargo space of the S-70UAS U-Hawk means that it can now carry the following: 

• Air-ground team: Drive on/off an uncrewed ground vehicle, such as the HDT Hunter Wolf 6×6 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.
• External lift: 4,080 kg (9,000 lbs)

The specific reference to the ability to carry the MLRS Family of Munitions and Naval Strike Missiles, for example, indicates that the U-Hawk could be used to support the US Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force’s, as well as the US Marine Corps by moving missiles around for them. In addition, the S-70UAS has an endurance of 14 hours and operational range of 2,900 km (1,600 nautical miles). The standard UH-60L can reach 1,200 nautical miles (around 2,200 km) with additional fuel tanks fitted to its External Stores Support System. Range is seen as critical in the Indo-Pacific as China can hold a lot of US bases and vessels at risk, long before US aircraft can get themselves into a useful position. The longer range of the U-Hawk would potentially enable it to be deployed from safer US bases and still provide good logistics coverage. In theory, an S-70UAS could deploy autonomously from Guam to the Philippines or Taiwan, for example. It would need to refuel before heading back, but both of those journeys are out of reach to a standard UH-60L. 

Calibre comment: The challenge of scale

Sikorsky is already under contract to modernise US Army Black Hawks, which will include a strengthening of the air frame and addition of a digital backbone. Work is also underway to develop and install improved engines in the UH-60M, which will boost power by around 50%. The aim is to extend the life of the helicopters and provide them with extra capabilities. The S-70UAS U-Hawk is likely a pitch based upon this combined experience, and the US Army’s stated needs and operational intent in the Indo-Pacific. 

The challenge for the US Army and Sikorsky to some extent, will be the ability of the force to operate enough platforms to meet its needs. The maintenance requirements do not go away just because the helicopter is autonomous and operators will still be required to control its flight and launch it. It is possible that if the US Army decided to make all of its UH-60L Black Hawks autonomous, that it would end up with the same number of platforms and lift capacity, but they would all just be autonomous. It may be preferable to have more platforms in operation, especially if US forces dispersed as they appear to be planning to. In this case, it would be necessary for each operator to manage and deploy more than one aircraft at a time. This is the challenge of scale with autonomous platforms, and it is where the greatest potential to realise new capabilities seems to lie. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on October 14, 2025. The lead image shows the S-70UAS U-Hawk with its clamshell doors open. Credit: Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin.