The use of a greater number of autonomous unmanned platforms on the battlefield is already a reality to which companies and military forces are adapting. In view of this reality, Sikorsky presented the latest version of its Black Hawk helicopter, but with a peculiarity — the aircraft has undergone significant modifications to transform it into an autonomous transport drone, receiving the designation S-70UAS U-Hawk.
Thus, Zona Militar was present at the official presentation of the unmanned aircraft, which is already on display at the AUSA International Exhibition. This new technology demonstrator is a former U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter whose front section has been heavily modified, featuring a cargo door.
According to Sikorsky, by removing the helicopter’s cockpit, the U-Hawk offers 25% more cargo capacity, serving for the transport of equipment and, as shown during the exhibition, various types of unmanned ground vehicles.
It was also observed that several types of effector launch systems have been installed in the side door sections, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, presumably of the loitering munition type.
During the official presentation of the new platform, Sikorsky stated that the development of this unmanned and autonomous version of the Black Hawk, based on an ex–U.S. Army “Lima” model, was completed in a period of ten months, building upon previous efforts and technologies applied to earlier demonstrators.
Broadly speaking, the U-Hawk is not simply the removal of the flight cabin for the installation of a new cargo door and ramp. It represents the integration of new developments applied and demonstrated in recent years, such as the MATRIX flight control software developed with the support of DARPA.
In terms of capabilities, the company highlighted that the U-Hawk has an operational range of 1,600 nautical miles and a flight endurance of up to 14 hours, which can be expanded depending on the mission and the adoption of internal fuel tanks. Regarding payload capacity, it can carry up to 7,000 pounds internally or 9,000 pounds via sling load — or a combination of both to reach up to 10,000 pounds total capacity.
Additionally, for integration with other effectors such as unmanned aerial vehicles, specially adapted systems have been installed for this function, with the ability to launch between 24 and 50 different types of UAVs from its sides.
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