Army awards Sikorsky $43M contract to equip Black Hawk with digital backbone

The Army has awarded Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky a $43 million contract to equip the Black Hawk helicopter with a "digital backbone" capability that will allow for unmanned systems to be integrated, the company announced Wednesday.

The contract will also include enhancement of the helicopter’s airframe as well as development of requirements and architecture “using model-based systems engineering,” according to a company press release.

The digital backbone will support a Modular Open System Approach, which will include developing advanced systems and software, and “rapid capability insertion to quickly respond to future platform mission needs,” according to Sikorsky.

Ultimately, Sikorsky anticipates the upgrades will give the Black Hawk the ability to carry more payload at greater range and incorporate other capabilities such as autonomy and AI to help pilots.

Lockheed is working with the Army to deliver a “federated” Launched Effects capability that will be integrated with the Black Hawk in 2026, the company said in its news release. That timeline coincides with the service’s goal of integrating Launched Effects and UAS into every division by the end of that year, as part of its transformation initiative.

The Army’s current multiyear contract for the Black Hawk is set to sunset in fiscal year 2026. As of last month, the service had not decided whether it would pursue another multiyear for the helicopter beyond FY-26, although Senate authorizers are encouraging them to do so.