Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Awarded Army Contract for Black Hawk® Modernization Efforts
STRATFORD, Conn. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company on August 20, announced a new US Army contract that will fund Black Hawk® modernization engineering efforts. The initial $43 million contract award will focus on foundational capabilities for modernization: enhancement of the airframe and inclusion of a digital backbone capability to allow for rapid unmanned aerial systems (UAS) integration. The award also includes development of requirements and architecture using model-based systems engineering (MBSE).
“Sikorsky is ready to implement new technologies that will strengthen the combat-proven Black Hawk helicopter and give US Army soldiers greater advantage in areas like the Indo-Pacific,” said Hamid Salim, Vice President, Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky. “Integrating launched effects into the Black Hawk will enhance its capabilities and provide a significant advantage. Modernization is reducing costs, increasing efficiency and improving the overall maintenance and sustainment for the aircraft.”
The contract will support the Army’s near-term priority to integrate launched effects into the Black Hawk, enabling the aircraft to deploy UAS and other effects to enhance its mission capabilities. Lockheed Martin has been demonstrating launched effects capability with Black Hawk for years, and is working with the Army to deliver a federated capability in 2026.
The MBSE and digital engineering effort will focus on developing a digital thread of the Black Hawk for collaborative and effective design, testing and maintenance of the aircraft. The Black Hawk digital backbone effort, supporting a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA), will involve the development of advanced systems and software to support the aircraft’s modernization. This digital backbone facilitates rapid capability insertion to quickly respond to future platform mission needs.
This initial work on airframe enhancements, main fuel and digital backbone set a strong foundation for further rapid capability updates to Black Hawk. With a more powerful engine, airframe enhancements and a main fuel upgrade, the aircraft will carry more payload at greater range, and future upgrades to flight controls to include autonomy and AI features that will assist pilots in tough conditions increasing mission safety and effectiveness.
“Together with our team of hundreds of American suppliers, we are committed to delivering the most advanced and capable modernized Black Hawk to the US Army,” Salim said. “We look forward to continuing our work with the Army to ensure that the Black Hawk remains a vital component of our nation’s defense capabilities for years to come.”
Sikorsky is already fielding technology today that will lead to improved capability of a modernized Black Hawk. For example, Sikorsky is producing and delivering upturned exhaust systems II kits. These kits provide the Black Hawk of today and a modernized Black Hawk with significant performance improvements in the areas of InfraRed suppression, weight reduction, as well as improvements in reliability and maintainability.
