The United States continues to advance its program for optionally piloted and unmanned UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. Recently, we reported on the new U-Hawk (or S-70 UAS) variant, which replaces the standard cockpit with folding side doors for deploying ground robotic systems.
Earlier this year, at the end of August, during the Northern Strike 25-2 exercise, Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin company) conducted trials of the optionally piloted version — the Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) Black Hawk. Lockheed Martin has now released further details about these tests, highlighting several genuine "firsts."
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For the first time, throughout the entire flight, the optionally piloted Black Hawk was not controlled by a trained test pilot or engineer but by a U.S. Army National Guard sergeant who received less than an hour of training. The aircraft was operated via a portable tablet — part of the system's overall control suite.
In addition, during these exercises, the OPV Black Hawk completed a full-scale logistics mission for the first time, conducted an airdrop, and, also for the first time, successfully attached and carried an external load during fully autonomous flight. The helicopter covered approximately 70 nautical miles (about 128 km) while performing the logistics mission.
Among other noteworthy details, during one of the drills, the OPV Black Hawk lifted a launcher module from a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. The team also practiced a medical evacuation scenario, including a landing on an unprepared site.
It is worth recalling that the first test flights of the optionally piloted Black Hawk took place in early 2022and lasted about half an hour. The helicopter's autonomous capability is powered by Sikorsky's MATRIX technology.
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