Leonardo Flies Proteus Naval Autonomous Helicopter

Leonardo has made the first flight of what it described as the UK’s “first autonomous full-size helicopter,” the “Proteus” technology demonstrator. The milestone was reported last week by the Royal Navy, which is working with the Italy-based aerospace and defense group on the project.

The RWUAS Phase 3A Technology Demonstrator Programme (referred to as Proteus) began in 2022 when Leonardo was awarded a four-year, £60 million ($80.5 million) contract to develop an uncrewed aerial system. The project’s objective, said Leonardo, is to “enhance payload modularity, autonomy and rotorcraft technology.”

During the sortie, which was conducted from Predannack airfield in Cornwall, the Royal Navy said Proteus “was tasked with a short test routine which saw the aircraft operate its own flying controls independently of any human operator.”

Predannack serves as the satellite airfield for helicopters based at nearby Culdrose Royal Naval Air Service base. The site is also used for developing uncrewed and autonomous systems as part of the UK's National Drone Hub.

According to the Royal Navy, the Proteus flight "delivers on key commitments in the Strategic Defence Review, which set out plans to create a ‘New Hybrid Navy’ with autonomous helicopters like this demonstrator playing a central role in hybrid air wings and the Atlantic Bastion program to secure the North Atlantic." Potential missions for Proteus include anti-submarine warfare, sea patrols, and subsurface vessel detection, with the uncrewed platform expected to augment existing piloted aircraft.

Leonardo said the demonstrator “paves the way for future uncrewed aerial systems, taking on demanding and hazardous missions without putting human operators at risk.” The Royal Navy’s deputy director of aviation future programs, commodore Steve Bolton, suggested that autonomous technology could be integrated “as part of a hybrid air wing” in an “increasingly complex operating environment.”