One Year After AUSA 2025, Sikorsky U-Hawk Has Yet to Fly: Where the Program Stands

Sikorsky's S-70UAS U-Hawk demonstrator remained unflown at the opening of AUSA 2026, with its first flight now planned before the end of the year. Converted from a used UH-60L Black Hawk, the cockpit-less prototype is undergoing final fly-by-wire and MATRIX autonomy integration at Sikorsky's innovations facility in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The company developed the initial demonstrator using internal research funding and had previously discussed mid-2026 flight testing, year-end production and deliveries in 2027. No customer contract has been publicly announced, and the revised first-flight target remains a development milestone rather than evidence of operational fielding or production readiness.