BAE Systems Pilotless Passenger Plane Program

BAE Systems Pilotless Passenger Plane Program:

07/06/2012


BAE Systems pilotless Jetstream aircraft “The Flying Test Bed” is being put through its paces in a series of at least 20 flights over the Irish Sea and through UK airspace.
The tests are part of a long-term research project called Astraea – a name which stands for Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment.
This month’s trials will include “the world’s first use of autonomous, vision-based weather-avoidance routing and the first UK surrogate flight of a fully functional visual sense-and-avoid system which includes collision avoidance tests using a second aircraft”, a statement from Astraea explains.
The man responsible for the £62m project is Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, BAE Systems’ engineering director.
Mr Dopping-Hepenstal says the project involves seven major UK companies and more than 70 smaller companies and universities.
If all goes well, he imagines that there could be limited UAV flights within three or four years.
BBC’s Jonathan Beale has been given exclusive access to the program’s first test flight.