An autonomous test flight of a Leonardo AW139 helicopter recently took place in Phoenix. Technology manufacturer Honeywell and aerospace company Near Earth Autonomy partnered up in what they say is the first autonomous flight of that aircraft.
According to Honeywell, the test “marks a critical step” in support of the United States Marine Corps through autonomous logistics.
Due to the experimental nature of the flight, the operation still involved a safety pilot.
Sapan Shah is the senior product director for autonomy and advanced air mobility at Honeywell.
“It's really about enabling missions that were previously either too dangerous, too remote or too frequent to be supported by a crewed aircraft," Shah said.
Shah also says further autonomous tests are planned for Phoenix in the future.
“I won't be able to give you a specific date, but over the next four weeks, we have additional tests planned on this helicopter to incrementally test for even more capabilities," Shah said.
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