Engineers in Somerset, England, are building an autonomously flying helicopter for a research project of the British Royal Navy, requiring no remote operation by humans. This marks another significant breakthrough in drone technology within the military domain.
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03-26, 2025While helicopters without onboard personnel have existed before, they all required pilots to control them via remote controls from ships or command bases. Unlike previous iterations, this helicopter is designed to achieve complete autonomous flight.
The experimental helicopter, named "Proteus," is designed by the Leonardo Helicopters UK team in Yeovil to achieve autonomous flight and complete missions independently. It is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
Nigel Colman, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters UK, stated, "This is designed to avoid putting people in harm's way." The company is the UK's primary manufacturer of complete helicopters. Mr. Colman knows the helicopter inside and out, having served as a navigator in the Royal Air Force for 30 years, eventually rising to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal in charge of the UK's Joint Helicopter Command.
Many people think of helicopters being used for daring combat missions, such as destroying tanks or deploying special forces behind enemy lines. But in reality, more flights are routine, such as transporting cargo from one ship to another, or from ship to shore. Mr. Colman explained, "People like me have spent decades doing dull, dirty and dangerous tasks."
Mr. Colman continued, "If we don't have to risk lives, we can have it [the unmanned helicopter] fly for eight hours, it doesn't need feeding, it doesn't need a bunk. There's an awful lot the Navy could use it for."
So, what kind of missions might the new autonomous aircraft be assigned? A typical task is dropping sonar buoys into the sea to listen for submarines. Currently, pilots have been performing these missions, with risks involved in every flight.
The team envisions "Proteus" taking off from a Royal Navy frigate, flying to pre-set coordinates, dropping high-tech buoys, and then returning to the flight deck. All of this would occur without any human crew controlling the helicopter.
Mr. Colman explained, "It will run autonomously. There's nobody standing there with a joystick around their neck, pressing buttons."
What if the mission circumstances change? For example, a sudden storm, or an unexpected ship appears? Mr. Colman said, "It will have all the information it needs to replan its route, to avoid threats, to avoid collisions, and to take whatever action is necessary. The software engineers upstairs are simulating how the aircraft will operate. I saw the helicopter recognize an oil rig and divert around it."
In another example, Mr. Colman envisioned the aircraft dropping sonar buoys and flying over a small fishing boat. Optical cameras underneath the helicopter would identify the boat and select a new location to drop the buoys.
The factory has been manufacturing helicopters in Yeovil for 80 years. Today, the company is owned by Leonardo. Overall, most of the helicopters flown by the British military are manufactured at this factory.
The people involved in this groundbreaking project are clearly proud of it. In addition to a lot of high-tech electronics and digital work, there are still plenty of screwdrivers and wrenches. Aircraft fitter Tom Spencer is securing some steel panels to the fuselage.
He said, "It's different to your normal job, it's a new project for our company, so it's something that no one's done before."
Victoria Thorpe had the opportunity to join the procurement department of the project and "jumped at the chance." She said, "It's fantastic to be involved in such a novel and exciting project, and we're working with lots of local companies who are providing us with supplies."
"Proteus" is a research project of the British Royal Navy to explore various possibilities. Experts say it is unlikely that this exact aircraft will be mass-produced, but all countries are urgently exploring unmanned aircraft. David Galbreath, Professor of War and Technology at the University of Bath, said, "The military are increasingly reliant on automation and machine learning in order to really do those particularly dangerous jobs, to remove individual risk."
The team hopes to test fly the new aircraft "in the summer." It has been revealed that the test flight location will be in a secret location away from towns or villages. But they are confident of success. Mr. Colman said, "We'll program it, it will do its mission, simple as that."
