Lockheed Martin introduces unmanned version of the Black Hawk
Lockheed Martin has converted the Black Hawk into a drone. The cockpit has been turned into a cargo hold.
S-70UAS U-Hawk
(Image: Lockheed Martin)
The helicopter becomes a drone: US helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky has converted a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter into an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). This offers more storage space and can transport larger payloads accordingly.
S-70UAS U-Hawk is the drone variant of the UH-60L Black Hawk, which Sikorsky, a subsidiary of the US aerospace and defense group Lockheed Martin, has been building since 1978. It is mainly used by the military in the US. However, there are also civilian variants, for example, for the fire department.
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To enable the helicopter to fly, Sikorsky has replaced the conventional flight control with a fly-by-wire system, in which control commands are transmitted electronically to the rotor or control surfaces instead of via steel cables, pushrods, or hydraulic systems. The manufacturer has coupled this system with a system for autonomous flight designated Matrix.
Operation via tablet
Pilots remotely operate the U-Hawk with a tablet, on which they enter the mission objective. Matrix creates a corresponding flight plan and controls the helicopter. The system uses data from cameras and other sensors.
Sikorsky and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research agency of the US Department of Defense, have been working on an autonomous version of the Black Hawk for over ten years on an autonomous version of the Black Hawk. In 2022, a Black Hawk flew autonomously for the first time.
However, this was still a conventional Black Hawk equipped with the Matrix system. The current U-Hawk has been internally converted: where the cockpit is located in the Black Hawk, the U-Hawk has two folding doors and a ramp.
Project duration of only ten months
The company only needed ten months to turn the U-Hawk concept into reality, said Sikorsky CEO Rich Benton. “The modifications to transform the manned Black Hawk into a UAS for various payloads can be quickly and cost-effectively reproduced on a large scale.”
Without the cockpit, the storage space increases by about 25 percent compared to the manned version. Nearly 3.2 tons of cargo can be stored here. On the hook under the fuselage, the U-Hawk, like the Black Hawk, can transport nearly 4.1 tons. The total payload inside and outside is about 4.5 tons, according to the manufacturer.
Because there is more space in the cargo hold, the U-Hawk can accommodate longer cargo such as HIMARS missiles (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) missiles. Furthermore, the manufacturer sees potential applications as a mothership, for swarms of reconnaissance and attack drones, or for unmanned ground vehicles.
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Lockheed Martin unveiled the U-Hawk on Monday at the Association of the United States Army conference. It is scheduled to fly for the first time next year.
(wpl)
