The Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter is widely known for the incident that occurred in Somalia in 1993 that caused a MALBATT member to die while trying to rescue a crashed crew. Recently, the Black Hawk has become a hot topic again after the contract to rent this helicopter by the ATM was canceled by the YDPA.
It has been used by the US military since 1979 and after more than 45 years it is now finally offered in a cargo drone version that does not require a human crew to fly it. The Sikorsky S-70UAS U-Hawk is the latest variant shown yesterday and can carry cargo up to 4,080 kg and fly for 14 hours continuously.
The U-Hawk is controlled using a tablet by a human crew remotely. The nose section of the helicopter that used to accommodate two crew members has now been converted into a shell-type cargo door that opens to the side complete with a built-in ramp. The cargo compartment of the U-Hawk is now 25% larger than the Black Hawk.
In addition to carrying cargo in the form of needs on the ground, it can also be used to launch wheeled UGVs and dozens of smaller drones through the side doors with the U-Hawk operating as a parent helicopter. Weapons such as HIMARS and rockets can also be placed on the side pods allowing it to operate as a combat helicopter if needed.
Sikorsky said the S-70UAS U-Hawk could begin operations as early as 2026. Development of drone systems has been stepped up under the Trump administration after seeing their effectiveness in the Ukraine war and seeing the progress of Chinese drone systems far ahead.
