Engineers from Airbus have demonstrated the ability to autonomously control a network of drones for...
The test took place on March 21 over Cadizbay of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain. During the flight, engineers tested the Auto’Mate autonomous control system. During the test, an A310 MRTT aircraft flew four DT-25 drones, which simulated real-life aerial refueling.
Drone on launcher. Image: Airbus Defense and Space SAU 2023 Juan Pedro Donaire — Mango Producciones
During the six-hour flight, controlwas successfully transmitted from the ground station to the tanker by drones. The system used artificial intelligence and co-control algorithms to control the flight of four drones. During joint maneuvers, the devices approached the aircraft at a distance of up to 45 m and took up a position for refueling.
During testing Auto’Matemonitored the aircraft's relative navigation, communicated between ships to enhance autonomy, and provided precise control to avoid collisions and other problems.
The drone approaches the aircraft for refueling. Image: Airbus 2023
Air refueling is one of the keytechnologies that provide the ability to increase the duration of the drone mission indefinitely. However, transferring fuel from one aircraft to another with very different flight characteristics is a difficult task requiring a high degree of control precision.
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Cover image: Airbus SAU 2022 Borja Garcia de Sola