Aviation history as first full-size autonomous helicopter takes flight

By Dean Murray

British aviation history has been made with the UK’s first truly autonomous full-size helicopter completing its maiden flight.

Operating from Predannack Airfield in Cornwall, the helicopter has been designed and built by Leonardo as a demonstrator for the Royal Navy.

Manufactured in Yeovil, the Proteus Technology Demonstrator is being developed by Leonardo under a £60m programme that supports 100 highly skilled British jobs, and is believed to be one of the world’s first full-sized autonomous helicopters.

The aim is to unlock the potential of uncrewed aerial systems, operating them side by side with crewed aircraft in a future ‘hybrid air wing’, and placing them at the heart of future anti-submarine operations as part of the Atlantic Bastion strategy.

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The helicopter has been designed to conduct a range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare and patrolling the seas, while drawing on information provided by a network of allied ships, helicopters, submarines and detection systems to hunt vessels beneath the waves.

The Royal Navy said: "Such machines are central to the Atlantic Bastion programme announced by the MOD last month, creating an advanced hybrid naval force to defend the UK and NATO allies against evolving threats. It will enable the UK to find, track and, if required, act against adversaries with unprecedented effectiveness across vast areas of ocean."

Just weeks after completing comprehensive ‘ground running’ trials at Leonardo’s Yeovil site – where the helicopter’s systems, sensors and engines were tested before Proteus lifted off the ground – engineers, technicians and representatives from Leonardo, the Royal Navy and UK Defence Innovation watched history in the making on the Lizard Peninsula.

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Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: "This maiden flight is a proud moment for British innovation. Designed and built in Yeovil, Proteus supports skilled UK jobs while helping deliver the hybrid navy outlined in our Strategic Defence Review. Autonomous systems like this will be vital in protecting our seas without putting personnel in harm’s way."