Aviation News – Leonardo’s Proteus autonomous helicopter has completed its first flight at the National Drone Hub in Cornwall, marking a major milestone for the UK’s uncrewed aviation ambitions and future military and civil rotorcraft operations.
The Proteus helicopter, developed by Leonardo from the civilian AW09 platform, took off from Predannack Airfield following more than a month of ground testing at the company’s Yeovil headquarters. The programme represents the UK’s first full-size autonomous helicopter and forms part of wider efforts to advance uncrewed and optionally crewed aviation technologies.
During the test, Proteus conducted two short flights using a fully autonomous flight control system, operating without any human input. The aircraft executed pre-planned manoeuvres and system checks designed to validate navigation, stability and safety functions, demonstrating how complex rotary-wing platforms can operate reliably with software-driven control, down to the smallest bolt in the airframe and control architecture.
Photo Leonardo