Sikorsky's new Black Hawk can fly itself
Sikorsky (part of Lockheed Martin) just introduced the U-Hawk, a new twist on the classic Black Hawk helicopter—except this one can fly itself.
Revealed at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exposition this week, the U-Hawk uses advanced Matrix autonomy tech and a modern fly-by-wire system, so it can handle missions without any pilots onboard.
The U-Hawk has a bigger cargo bay
Instead of a cockpit, the U-Hawk has extra cargo doors, giving it 25% more space for big gear like HIMARS pods or uncrewed vehicles.
Upgraded engines and gearbox mean it can now lift up to 4082kg.
Even cooler: Sikorsky developed this version in just 10 months, with its first flight planned for 2026—a big step forward after years of work with DARPA on making helicopters fly themselves.