Royal Navy flies full-size autonomous helicopter for the first time
The Royal Navy has completed the first flight of Proteus, its first full-size autonomous helicopter built for maritime operations.
The aircraft flew from Predannack Airfield in Cornwall in a short maiden test that validated basic autonomous functions. The helicopter operated without an onboard crew and controlled its own flight systems while ground-based test pilots supervised the mission. The trial marked an early but important step for a platform designed to fly maritime missions without putting aircrew in the aircraft.
Proteus was designed and built by Leonardo under a 60 million pound program aimed at helping the Royal Navy integrate uncrewed systems with crewed aircraft. The helicopter is intended for roles including anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol, and it is expected to support a future hybrid air wing. The Royal Navy said the aircraft is the largest and most complex autonomous rotorcraft it has operated so far, using onboard sensors and computer systems to interpret its environment and make flight decisions.
The service said Proteus is being developed to help track submarines and monitor activity across wide ocean areas, especially in the North Atlantic. Leonardo said autonomous systems of this type could take on long-duration, hazardous and repetitive missions that are often described as dull, dirty and dangerous. The first flight did not demonstrate the full mission set, but it showed that the aircraft can manage core flight tasks autonomously in a real test environment as further evaluations continue.
The milestone underlines a broader push across military aviation to field operational autonomous helicopters. As armed forces look to pair crewed aircraft with uncrewed platforms, Proteus could become a key part of how the Royal Navy extends surveillance reach, anti-submarine coverage and operational persistence at sea.