Monday, October 13, 2025

World Defence News --- Introduced the S-70UAS U-Hawk, its first fully autonomous version of the legendary Black Hawk helicopter

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PLEASE NOTE: A single operator with a tablet interface commands the U‑Hawk from engine start to mission completion. The MATRIX system generates autonomous flight paths, manages obstacle avoidance, and adjusts course dynamically using onboard vision sensors and real-time processing algorithms. 

 Lockheed's Sikorsky Transformed a UH-60L Black Hawk Helicopter Into the Autonomous S-70UAS U-Hawk - TechEBlog

Igor Cherepinsky, director of Sikorsky Innovations, emphasized the modularity and cost efficiency. 
  • “We designed the U‑Hawk with a retrofit mindset. 
  • Every component we engineered — actuators, computers, airframe mods — can be scaled to other aircraft. 
  • That’s the game-changer. 
  • can take Black Hawks already in service and give them this autonomous capability without building from scratch.”

The demonstrator aircraft, built from a standard UH‑60L, is expected to fly in 2026. Sikorsky aims to offer a scalable upgrade path for the U.S. Army’s aging UH‑60 fleet, effectively rejuvenating legacy airframes with high-tech autonomy and extended mission value. Early interest is reported from Army logistics and special operations commands focused on contested logistics and theater-wide distribution in denied airspaces.

The strategic calculus is clear. In a future of dispersed operations and peer threats, crewless cargo helicopters may be the key to keeping frontline units resupplied and connected. The U‑Hawk, born from the most iconic military helicopter of the last half-century, now points toward the utility rotorcraft of the next.

 

Washington D.C., United States, October 13, 2025 - 
 
At the opening of the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, AUSA 2025, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, introduced the S-70UAS U-Hawk, its first fully autonomous version of the legendary Black Hawk helicopter. 
  • Built on the proven UH-60L platform, the U-Hawk integrates Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy suite and modular open systems architecture, enabling uncrewed missions for combat support, logistics, reconnaissance, and coordinated drone swarm operations. 
  • Company officials described the aircraft as a key step toward a future where U.S. Army rotorcraft can operate independently in high-risk environments while reducing crew exposure and expanding mission endurance. 
  • Read full Defense News at this link ...
 

On September 25, 2025, Naval Group’s Cherbourg shipyard began welding the first steel plate for the confinement enclosures of the PA-NG (Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération), which will house two K22 nuclear reactors. The activity, supervised by the Direction générale de l’armement with TechnicAtome and the CEA responsible for nuclear systems, marks the start of physical construction work on France’s next aircraft carrier. Read full defense news at this link...

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On October 12, 2025, a picture shared by the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment showed the operational deployment of the FrankenSAM, a surface-to-air missile system created through cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. The system combines the Buk-M1 launcher with American RIM-7 interceptors, helping Ukraine to continue medium-range air defense despite scarce stocks of original Soviet interceptors.
 

Iraq is evaluating a large-scale procurement of approximately 250 K2 Black Panther main battle tanks from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, according to reports from Milli Recharge on September 25, 2025. The proposed $6.5 billion deal is under government and military review and would replace part of Iraq’s U.S.-supplied M1 Abrams fleet, alongside aging T-90S and T-72 tanks, as the country seeks to consolidate its armored units under a unified, modern platform.
 

The UK Ministry of Defence announced on October 13, 2025, that HMS Agamemnon, the sixth Astute-class attack submarine, has successfully completed her first underwater dive inside the dock at BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness yard. The two-day sequence combined a basin dive with a trim and inclining experiment, including the movement of 16 tonnes of lead to verify stability and center of gravity.
 

On the 13th of October, 2025, Türkiye unveiled new test footage confirming that the SOM-J cruise missile has completed a successful live-fire engagement at sea. Developed by TÜBİTAK SAGE with Roketsan as the industrial partner responsible for productionization and mission-system integration, the weapon demonstrated very-low-altitude sea-skimming, post-launch controllability, and precise terminal attack against a surface target.
 

On 9 October 2025, NATO Maritime Command reported that a French Navy frigate was shadowing a Russian submarine operating on the surface off Brittany, highlighting vigilance on the Atlantic approaches amid elevated tensions and recent drone incursions across Europe. The episode underscores allied readiness along vital sea lines of communication and shows how routine transits can become strategic signals when they intersect busy chokepoints and ongoing military activity.
 

According to information published by Bloomberg, on October 10, 2025, the United Kingdom and Ukraine are moving to jointly produce thousands of low-cost interceptor drones under a project known as Octopus, with British minister Luke Pollard signaling output on the order of 2,000 units per month and initial production lines set in the UK.
 

On October 11, 2025, Frontelligence Insight published leaked Russian military files indicating that Uralvagonzavod intends to produce over 1,000 units of a new variant of the T-90M, the T90-M2 Ryvok-1 main battle tank, by 2029.
 

On 11 October 2025, Poland launched the exercise DZIELNY BÓBR-25, a trinational drill with German and French forces focused on overcoming a wide water obstacle on the Oder near the Biała Góra training area. The operation marks the year’s flagship maneuver for the 11th Lubusz Armoured Cavalry Division and validates heavy formations executing a contested wet-gap crossing—a complex mission central to NATO mobility on the Alliance’s northeastern flank.
 

On September 16, 2025, the Russian Murmansk Arctic University obtained a patent for a shipborne turret system designed to store, deploy, and operate multicopter drones connected by fiber-optic cables. The system replaces conventional radio communication with optical data transmission to ensure stable command and video links under conditions of electronic interference or GPS spoofing.
 

Hanwha Aerospace USA announced on October 9, 2025, that it has begun manufacturing a wheeled version of the K9A2 155 mm self-propelled howitzer for potential use in U.S. Army long-range precision fire programs. Company representatives confirmed that testing is scheduled for early 2026, and the system will be displayed at the Association of the U.S.
 

Türkiye Today reported on October 12, 2025, that the Turkish Land Forces will take the first delivery of the Altay main battle tank on Oct. 28, timed to the opening of BMC’s new Tank and New Generation Armored Vehicles Production Facility outside Ankara. The piece frames the handover as a pivot from prototypes to series vehicles and notes an initial production run that starts with imported power units before shifting to BMC Power’s indigenous BATU engine. Read more...
 

GKN Aerospace announced on October 8, 2025, that GKN Fokker and Airbus Helicopters have signed a new memorandum of understanding in Toulouse during the Royal Visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, formalizing Dutch industrial participation on the H225M Caracal program.
 

According to information published by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, on October 9, 2025, two Bayraktar TB3 carrier-capable drones launched from the Turkish Navy’s flagship TCG Anadolu and prosecuted targets with Roketsan MAM-L and MAM-T munitions during the Sea Wolf-I 2025 exercise off Antalya, while a Bayraktar Akinci operating from Northern Cyprus struck three additional targets with TOLUN, TEBER-82 and the KEMANKES-1 mini cruise missile.
 

On 8 October 2025, Rheinmetall announced that series production of UVision’s HERO loitering munitions is now running at full speed in Sardinia, a shift designed to satisfy rising European demand for attritable precision-strike capabilities as reported by Rheinmetall. The industrial setup spans two RWM Italia sites, Musei for assembly and electronics and Domusnovas for warhead manufacture and integration, consolidating a European production base for both offensive UAS and counter-UAS portfolios.
 

According to information published by Forbes, on October 12, 2025, both Russia and Ukraine have begun pushing unmanned ground vehicles directly into the most lethal parts of the front to probe fortified lines shaped by drones, artillery, and mines. The report captures a pivot in land warfare, where tracked and wheeled robots operate inside overlapping kill zones that previously swallowed infantry and armor.
 

On October 5, 2025, the Arleigh Burke–class destroyer USS Ross (DDG-71) live-fired a Standard Missile-2 during the “Titans of the Sea” Presidential Review held off the U.S. East Coast, as reported by the U.S. Navy via DVIDS. The review, hosted aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and attended by the President and First Lady, marked the Navy’s 250th birthday and showcased integrated air and maritime power. The demonstration arrives as multiple U.S.
 

On 10 October 2025, Russia’s Baltic Fleet conducted a rapid-deployment coastal missile drill on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, as reported by TASS Russian News Agency. The exercise featured Bastion coastal defense units dispersing from base, establishing firing positions, and executing simulated strikes detected through radio-technical search.
 

CARIBBEAN SEA – U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, operating from an amphibious platform assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), executed a high-intensity live-fire exercise while underway in the Caribbean Sea on September 22, 2025.
 

North Korea displayed what appears to be a near copy of the U.S. Army’s HIMARS rocket launcher during a nighttime parade in Pyongyang marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party on October 11, 2025. The wheeled multiple launch rocket system, first seen rolling through Kim Il Sung Square, shares the same six-wheel configuration and modular pod structure as the American High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
 

On 9 October 2025, UK's A400M Atlas executed the first-ever landing on Norway’s remote Jan Mayen island, delivering a U.S. Marine Corps JLTV for a trilateral deployment with the Norwegian Armed Forces and UK Royal Marines; the mission underscores NATO’s capacity to sustain operations across the High North’s most austere terrain, as reported by the Royal British Air Force.
 

In its latest annual analysis, the Army Recognition editorial team has identified the Top 10 Defense Products of 2025, spotlighting next-generation military vehicles, weapon systems, and digital combat technologies redefining the future of warfare. This year’s ranking emphasizes a clear shift toward integrated artificial intelligence, autonomous operations, and modular platform design across leading U.S., U.K., and European defense manufacturers.
 

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -  On October 9 2025, the U.S. Department of War reported that soldiers from the Multi Purpose Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division tested a 3D printed munition dropper system known as Widowmaker during the multinational exercise Combined Resolve 26 1. Mounted on a PDW C100 drone, the compact device enables precision release of M67 fragmentation grenades, M18 smoke grenades, and training munitions.

 

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