Yeovil engineers constructing ‘helicopter that flies itself’ | EUROtoday

Engineers in Somerset are constructing a helicopter that’s set to fly itself – with out the necessity for people to function it remotely – in a analysis challenge for the Royal Navy.

There have been helicopters with out onboard crew earlier than, however they’ve all been flown by pilots utilizing distant controls from a ship or command base.

The Proteus experimental helicopter is designed by a group at Leonardo Helicopters UK, in Yeovil, to fly autonomously – finishing up a mission all by itself. It is believed to be the primary of its variety on this planet.

“It’s about not putting people in harm’s way,” stated Nigel Colman, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, the UK’s principal full-scale helicopter producer.

Mr Colman is aware of his helicopters. As a navigator for the RAF, he flew for 30 years, ending up as an air vice-marshal, working the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command.

Many consider helicopters in daring fight missions, taking pictures tanks or dropping particular forces behind enemy traces. But many extra flights are routine, transferring cargo from one ship to a different, from ship to shore.

“People like me spend decades flying dull, dirty and dangerous missions,” Mr Colman defined.

“If we don’t have to risk life, we can fly this for eight hours, it doesn’t need feeding, it doesn’t need a bed. There is so much the Navy can do with it.”

So what sort of missions may the brand new autonomous plane be given?

A typical process could be to drop sonar buoys within the sea, used to pay attention for submarines. Pilots fly these jobs continually in the mean time, and each flight carries a threat.

The group sees the Proteus taking off from a Royal Navy frigate, flying to pre-set co-ordinates, dropping the high-tech buoys, then returning to the flight deck.

All with none human crew controlling the helicopter.

Mr Colman defined: “It’s going to operate itself. Nobody is stood there with a remote control round their neck, pressing buttons.”

And what if the mission scenario adjustments? A storm brews up, an sudden ship seems?

“It will have all the information it needs to re-route,” says Mr Colman. “To avoid threats, to avoid collisions, whatever is necessary.”

Upstairs, software program engineers are simulating how the plane will function. I watch because the helicopter sees an oil rig, identifies it, and takes a route round it.

In one other instance, Mr Colman imagines the plane dropping sonar buoys and flying over a small fishing boat. An optical digital camera beneath the helicopter would establish the craft, and select a brand new place to drop the buoy.

They have been making helicopters in Yeovil at this manufacturing unit for 80 years. Today, the corporate is owned by Leonardo. In all, greater than 50% of the helicopters flown by the British armed forces have been constructed on this manufacturing unit.

People engaged on the brand new ground-breaking challenge are clearly pleased with it.

Alongside some very high-tech electronics and digital work, there are nonetheless loads of screwdrivers and spanners. I meet Tom Spencer, an plane fitter, attaching some metal plates to the airframe.

He says: “It’s something different from your usual work, it’s a new project for our company, so it’s something that no-one else has worked on before.”

Victoria Thorpe had an opportunity to hitch the challenge, in procurement, and “jumped at it”.

She stated: “It’s great to work on something so new and exciting, and we are collaborating with lots of local companies who supply us.”

The Proteus is a analysis programme for the Royal Navy, designed to see what is feasible. It is unlikely this precise plane shall be produced in massive numbers, however consultants say all nations are exploring uncrewed plane urgently.

David Gailbraith, Prof of War and Technology at Bath University, stated: “Militaries are increasingly relying on automation and machine learning in order to really do the job that would be particularly dangerous, so trying to remove the individual risk.”

The group hopes to fly the brand new plane “in the summer”. It shall be at a secret location, removed from any cities or villages, I’m advised. But they’re assured it is going to be a hit.

“We’ll programme it, it will do it’s thing, it will complete its mission, simple as that,” Mr Colman says.