Sikorsky’s Unmanned U-Hawk Enters Flight Test Program, Sees ‘More Interest’ From Marines

Sikorsky has moved its unmanned U-Hawk helicopter demonstrator into a flight-test program and reports increased interest from the United States Marine Corps. Based on the UH-60 Black Hawk airframe, the aircraft removes the conventional cockpit to create additional cargo volume and uses autonomous flight-control technology for resupply missions. The company is also evaluating whether the conversion architecture could be offered as a retrofit package for existing Black Hawk helicopters. The Marine Corps interest is exploratory, while the testing activity remains a prototype-development milestone rather than an announced Marine Corps aircraft purchase or operational acceptance.