Sikorsky introduces pilotless UH-60L Black Hawk, offering autonomous capabilities for military and civilian applications.
Sikorsky has revealed its S70 unmanned aerial system (UAS), also known as the UHawk, which transforms a legacy UH-60L Black Hawk into a large drone by completely removing the need for a pilot.
Prototype and Flight Testing
A prototype model of the new Group 5 UAS is currently in development, with flight testing scheduled to begin next year, according to a company executive who spoke to reporters ahead of the announcement.
“We’re introducing our newest member to the Black Hawk family of systems,” said Erskine “Ramsey” Bentley, director of strategy and business development for Sikorsky Advanced Programs. “Basically what we’ve done is we have taken a [UH-60L] Black Hawk, and using our MATRIX autonomy system, have turned this aircraft into a UAS.”
Concept to Prototype in One Year
Bentley explained that the concept for the S70 was conceived during last year’s AUSA conference in discussions between Army leaders and Sikorsky executives. Within a year, a prototype was created using internal funding from the Lockheed subsidiary, as the aircraft is not currently part of an official Army requirement.
The prototype was developed from an older UH-60L model acquired by Sikorsky from the Army, as the service divests these models as part of its larger aviation re-modernization plan.
Redesigned for Remote Flight
While the Army has previously experimented with pilotless Black Hawks through programs like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s ALIAS, Bentley emphasized that the UHawk has been modified from the ground up to maximize the benefits of remote flight.
Sikorsky engineers have „completely redesigned” the front end of the UH-60L, adding clamshell doors and a ramp, Bentley noted. This makes „the entire cabin and cockpit area [available] for either a logistics operation or mission support operations.” The new configuration allows soldiers to drive unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) into the aircraft, with the ability to store around 40 to 50 launched effects capabilities in a „quiver.”
Autonomous Air Assault Missions
“So as the Army is conducting an air assault, you would envision the UHawk flying ahead of the soldiers. As the UHawk comes into the landing zone area first, it dispenses launched effects out of the sides of the aircraft, out of our launched effects quiver,” Bentley explained. “Then when it lands, it disembarks the UGV, and then the aircraft departs, and this is done ahead of any soldiers putting boots on the ground.”
Cargo and Logistics Capabilities
In addition to assault missions, Bentley stated that the robo-helo can perform cargo missions, accommodating three Joint Modular Intermodal Container (JMIC) containers and carrying 7,000 pounds internally, while simultaneously carrying 9,000 pounds on the external cargo hook. It can even fit a HIMARS pod down the center of the aircraft.
Tablet-Based Operation
The S70 can be operated via a tablet by a „minimally trained” operator, according to Igor Cherepinsky, the director of Sikorsky Innovations. Depending on the mission, operators can adjust the level of control they have over the aircraft through the MATRIX autonomy system.
“If you tell it to go from airport A to airport B, for example, and it knows it’s in civil airspace, it will take the right routes, follow the right civil procedures. If it knows it’s a military airspace, it will do what it thinks is right for military airspace,” Cherepinsky said. “It is highly autonomous, but in some cases it may not be exactly what you want. So we’re providing this level of adjustable autonomy.”
Future Applications
Following flight testing next year, Sikorsky will refine its plans for the S70, with the Army as its primary focus. However, the company envisions applications for other services and civilian organizations, such as humanitarian missions.
“We see this aircraft being used across the Army for contested logistics mission support, but also [for] international customers,” Bentley said. “We see this also in use with disaster relief and other commercial and civilian applications, like wildfire suppression.”
Looking ahead, Cherepinsky suggested that converting the M variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk into a similar S70 model is a possibility.
“It all depends on the economics and price point,” he said. “Right now we’re looking at [the UH-60Ls], but who knows.”
