How Airbus achieved an autonomous helicopter flight with… a simple tablet

2023-12-06 10:00:00

In their orange jumpsuits, the test pilots have every reason to be bored. It must be said that once the helicopter’s mission is predefined on a tablet, all they have to do is monitor its proper execution. This type of flight, still futuristic until recently, is now a reality. It is the result of a project launched a little over three years ago within Airbus, called Vertex. The group revealed, Monday, November 27, that it had completed the test campaign for this project, carried out from Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhône) from October 27 to November 22, which demonstrated the technical feasibility of 100% autonomous helicopter journeys. .

Airbus UpNext, the group’s entity responsible for bringing disruptive technologies to fruition, carried out this work. “The objective was to apply level 3 autonomous driving, as exists in automobiles, to a helicopter while improving the level of safety», Explains Alexandre Gierczynski, Vertex project manager at Airbus UpNext. Autonomy level 3, on a scale of 5, allows you to let go of the steering wheel in certain conditions. The Airbus UpNext team took advantage of FlightLab, a real flying laboratory set up from an H130 from Airbus Helicopters, a division of the group which assembles helicopters in Marignane. Vertex results in the possibility of achieving a 100% autonomous flight, from takeoff to landing, including cruise flight.