Airbus tests Auto’Mate technologies for autonomous formation flight and air-to-air refueling

Airbus tests Auto’Mate technologies for autonomous formation flight and air-to-air refueling

(IN BRIEF) Airbus Defence and Space and its subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have successfully achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT. The Auto’Mate technologies were tested on several DT-25 target drones, and during almost six hours of flight testing, the four successively launched receivers were sequentially controlled and commanded without human interaction. These cutting-edge technologies demonstrate a significant breakthrough for future aerial operations involving manned and unmanned assets, and could reduce crew fatigue, minimize crew-training costs, and provide more effective operations. A second campaign is planned towards the end of 2023, which will explore the use of navigation sensors based on artificial intelligence and enhanced algorithms for autonomous formation flight.

(PRESS RELEASE) HUELVA, 28-Mar-2023 — /EuropaWire/ —  Airbus (EPA: AIR), a European multinational aerospace corporation, announces that Airbus Defence and Space and its subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have successfully demonstrated in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT. This groundbreaking achievement is a significant step towards autonomous formation flight and autonomous air-to-air refueling (A4R), and holds great potential for future aerial operations involving both manned and unmanned assets.

“The success of this first flight-test campaign paves the way for developing autonomous and unmanned air-to-air refuelling technologies,” said Jean Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “Even though we are at an early stage, we have achieved this within just one year and are on the right track for manned-unmanned teaming and future air force operations where fighters and mission aircraft will fly jointly with drone swarms.”

The Auto’Mate technologies, which were integrated onto an A310 MRTT flying testbed, were successfully tested on several DT-25 target drones at the Arenosillo Test Centre (CEDEA) in Huelva, Spain. The drone was autonomously guided by the A310 MRTT to the in-flight refueling position, and during almost six hours of flight testing, the four successively launched receivers were sequentially controlled and commanded thanks to artificial intelligence and cooperative control algorithms, without human interaction. The different receivers were guided until a minimum distance of 150 feet (around 45 meters) from the A310 MRTT.

The Auto’Mate Demonstrator technology has three main pillars: accurate relative navigation to precisely ascertain the relative position, speed and attitudes between the tanker and the receiver; intra-flight communication between platforms to allow information exchange among the different assets, increasing the autonomy of the system of systems; and cooperative control algorithms to provide guidance, coordination, consensus, and collision-avoidance functionalities to the tanker and the receiver/s.

These pioneering technologies were developed by a European team from Spain, Germany, and France and could reduce crew fatigue and the potential for human error, minimize crew-training costs, and provide more effective operations.

The successful testing of the Auto’Mate technologies is expected to increase the capability gap among competitors, as well as being re-used in key technological projects such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). A second campaign is planned towards the end of 2023, which will explore the use of navigation sensors based on artificial intelligence and enhanced algorithms for autonomous formation flight. In addition, two simulated drones will fly in the vicinity of the A310 MRTT to demonstrate multi-receiver autonomous operations and collision-avoidance algorithms.

To download audiovisual material to complement this announcement please click here.

To know more about Airbus Military Aircraft click here.

To know more about Airbus UpNext click here.

Media contacts:

Borja Garcia De Sola
External Communications – Airbus Defence
Phone: +34 677 92 62 42
borja.garciadesola@airbus.com

Matthieu Duvelleroy
External Communications – Airbus
Phone: +33 6 29 43 15 64
matthieu.duvelleroy@airbus.com

SOURCE: Airbus

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