Yeovil engineers building ‘helicopter that flies itself’

Engineers in Somerset are constructing a helicopter that is ready to fly themselves – to operate it from a distance without the need of humans – in a research project for the Royal Navy.

The first ship has a helicopter without crew, but they are all blown by pilots using remote control from a ship or command base.

Protius experimental helicopter is designed to complete a mission by a team in Leonardo helicopters UK, in Yehoville, autonomy. It is considered the first of its kind in the world.

“This is about not putting people in the way of damage,” said Nigel Colon, managing director of the helicopter manufacturer on the main full scale of the Leonardo helicopters UK, UK.

Mr. Coleman knows his helicopters. As a sailor for the RAF, he flew for 30 years, finishing as an air vice-marshal, run the UK joint helicopter command.

Many people think of helicopters in courageous fighter missions, shoot tanks or leave special forces behind the enemy lines. But many more flights are regular, from one ship to another, cargo carry from ship to edge.

“People like me have spent flying dirty, dirty and dangerous missions for decades,” Mr. Kolman explained.

“If we don’t have to risk life, we can fly it for eight hours, do not need to feed it, it does not need a bed. There is a lot that the navy can do with it.”

So what kind of missions can the new autonomous aircraft be given?

A specific task would be to demolish Sonar aunt in the sea, which used to hear for submarines. Pilots at this time continuously blow these jobs, and there is a risk in every flight.

The team sees the Protys unloading a Royal Navy from the frigate, flying to the pre-set co-ordinates, leaving the high-tech boys, then returns to the flight deck.

All without any human crew that control the helicopter.

Mr. Coleman explained: “It is going to operate itself. No one stands there with his neck with remote control, pressing the button.”

And what if the position of the mission changes? Does a storm, an unexpected ship appear?

“It will have all the information, which will have to be rooted again,” says Mr. Coleman. “To avoid dangers, to avoid conflict, whatever is necessary.”

Above, software engineers are imitating how the aircraft will work. I see that the helicopter sees an oil rig, identifies it, and takes a path around it.

In another example, Mr. Coleman imagined the aircraft leaving Sonar Buy and flew on a small fishing boat. An optical camera under the helicopter will identify the craft, and will choose a new position to leave the aunt.

They have been making helicopters in Yehoville in this factory for 80 years. Today, the company is owned by Leonardo. Among all, more than 50% of helicopters flown by the British armed forces were created in this factory.

People working on the new ground-breaking project are clearly proud of it.

With some very high -tech electronics and digital work, there are still a lot of screwdriver and spanner. I meet Tom Spencer, an aircraft fitter, attachs some steel plates into airframes.

He says: “This is somewhat different from your normal work, this is a new project for our company, so it is something that no one else has worked before.”

Victoria Thorpe had a chance to join the project, and “jumped on it”.

He said: “It is great to work on such new and exciting something, and we are collaborating with many local companies that supply us.”

Proteas is a research program for the Royal Navy, designed to see what is possible. It is unlikely that this accurate aircraft will be produced in large numbers, but experts say that all countries are searching for the aircraft immediately.

David Gelbrath, professor of war and technology at Bath University, said: “Terrorists are relying on rapid automation and machine learning to actually work that will be particularly dangerous, so trying to remove personal risk.”

The team hopes to fly the new aircraft “in summer”. It will be at a secret place, away from any city or villages, I have been told. But they believe it will be a success.

“We will program it, talk about it, it will complete its mission, it is simple,” Sri Coleman says.