Lockheed turns US Black Hawk helicopter into pilotless cargo drone

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky division has developed the S-70UAS U-Hawk, a fully autonomous version of the UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, marking a significant advancement in unmanned military aviation. By removing the cockpit, seats, and crew stations, and replacing the mechanical flight controls with a third-generation fly-by-wire system powered by MATRIX autonomy technology, the U-Hawk operates without onboard crew. The aircraft features actuated clamshell doors and a rear ramp to enable roll-on/roll-off cargo operations, increasing usable cabin space by 25% compared to the standard Black Hawk. This expanded interior allows the U-Hawk to carry oversized cargo, including missile pods, uncrewed ground vehicles, and up to four Joint Modular Intermodal Containers—doubling the capacity of legacy models. The U-Hawk’s design supports a range of mission profiles, including logistics, strike, and reconnaissance. It can transport specialized payloads such as a six-rocket HIMARS pod or