Black Hawk loses pilot, gains cargo space

The helicopter lifts off without anyone touching the controls. Inside, there's no pilot, no seats, no instruments. Instead of a cabin, there are two vertically opening doors and a loading ramp. Black Hawk has become U-Hawk, and it no longer needed humans on board. It took ten months to remove everything: windows, control sticks, panels, crew stations. In their place, cargo space. 25% more than before. Sikorsky he presented it to theAssociation of the United States Army, and it's the first fully autonomous Black Hawk. No "pilot option." Autonomous. It turns on, flies, and lands. Unsupervised. An operator on the ground, with a tablet, tells it where to go. The rest it decides itself.

From UH-60L to S-70UAS: What's Changed?

The project is based on a UH-60L purchased from the U.S. Army. This older model was destined for decommissioning. Sikorsky he thought it was a waste to scrap it. Better to transform it. TheS-70UAS U-Hawk This is how it was born: by removing every element designed for humans. Gone is the cockpit, gone are the seats, gone are the manual controls. Everything is replaced by a third-generation fly-by-wire system integrated with technology. MATRIX, the same autonomy software that Sikorsky has been developing for DARPA for over ten years.

The helicopter's nose now opens like a military cargo plane: side clamshell doors and a front ramp. Inside, there are four modular containers. Joint Modular Intermodal, or a HIMARS pod with six rockets, or two missiles Naval StrikeOr unmanned ground vehicles that can autonomously ascend and descend. It's like a flying garage that can be operated remotely.

MATRIX: the brain that needs no pilot

The technology MATRIX It's the heart of the system. It's not just an autonomous pilot. It's a flight intelligence system that manages every phase of the mission, from engine start to engine shutdown. It includes cameras, sensors, and autonomous navigation algorithms. It detects obstacles. It calculates alternative routes. It reacts to threats without waiting for commands. As Ramsey Bentley explained, director of strategy and development of Sikorsky Advanced Programs, “You need a tablet to operate the plane. Any soldier can pick up this tablet, start the plane, program a mission, and the plane is completely autonomous.”

The operator defines high-level objectives: destination, type of payload, mission parameters. MATRIX handles the rest. If it needs to fly in civilian airspace, it follows civilian procedures; if it needs to operate in a military zone, it acts accordingly. If communications are interrupted, it continues the mission autonomously. It is designed for electromagnetically hostile environments, where remotely piloted drones cease to function.

Operational Capabilities: What the Black Hawk Can Do

The technical specifications have been published by Lockheed MartinInternal load: Up to 7.000 lb (approximately 3.175 kg), external load: 9.000 lb (4.080 kg). Combined load: 10.000 lb. Endurance: Up to 14 hours of continuous flight. Range: Over 1.600 nautical miles (approximately 2.960 km) without refueling. Engines: T700-GE-701C Enhanced transmission: Improved to handle heavier loads.

It can carry one swarm of drones for reconnaissance or attack missions. Not only that, it can carry internal fuel tanks to further extend its range. It can make deliveries to areas where sending human crews would be too risky. The operating cost is lower than a traditional Black Hawk. No pilots to train, pay, or protect. Maintenance is reduced because the life support systems have been eliminated.

The context: why now

The US military has thousands of UH-60L old. Too expensive to maintain, but still structurally sound. race for autonomous swarms and unmanned systems has already begun. The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated that Drones are changing the rules of warBattlefields become kilometers-deep lethal zones, where every movement is detected. Traditional helicopters are vulnerable. Too expensive to lose, too risky to fly.

The U-Hawk solves both problems. It recycles existing aircraft. It eliminates crew risk. It increases logistical capacity. And it costs much less than a new helicopter. As Rich Benton stated, vice president and general manager of Sikorsky,

“We developed this prototype from concept to reality in less than a year. The modifications made to transform this manned Black Hawk into a multi-mission UAS can be replicated on a large scale quickly and cost-effectively.”

Autonomous Black Hawk: Next Steps and Implications

The first flight is scheduled for 2026. Sikorsky InnovationsThe company's rapid prototyping group will continue testing and refinement. The goal is to demonstrate reliability in real-world operational scenarios. If the tests are successful, the U.S. Army could convert hundreds of older Black Hawks into cargo drones.

But the implications go beyond military logistics. The U-Hawk marks a turning point: transport helicopters are becoming autonomous platforms. No longer piloted aircraft, but flying robots controlled by algorithms. And if it works for transport, it will also work for other missions: reconnaissance. Surveillance. Fire support.

The real question isn't whether this technology will work. It's whether we'll be able to control where it takes us. Because a helicopter that flies alone is also a helicopter that can be hacked, reprogrammed, and used in unexpected ways. And when you remove the human from the cockpit, you also remove the last line of defense against system failure.

Better to have clear rules today than technical surprises tomorrow.