Company Conducts First Autonomous Helicopter Flight for Marine Program

Unmanned helicopter flies over Arizona skies

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – An American aerospace technology company has successfully flown an unmanned, full-sized helicopter in a test site in Arizona. Honeywell called the pilotless flight of the Leonardo AW139 helicopter a “major milestone” in efforts to offer the U.S. Marine Corps an aircraft able to operate in contested environments (i.e., war zones) without risking human lives. Cartel drones ‘pose threat’ to US service members o…

Company conducts first autonomous helicopter flight for Marine program

The May flight was the first using the company's autonomus stack.

Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy complete first autonomous flight of AW139 helicopter

During the test, Near Earth’s onboard autonomy software directly controlled key autopilot modes of Honeywell’s AW139 without pilot input. This demonstrated accurate flight control and autonomous decision-making, a major milestone for future military and civil applications. “Not only is this successful demonstration a major step in creating brand new possibilities for the USMC, but it also creates a potential pathway for use by other helicopter o…