The Royal Navy highlighted its Hybrid Air Wing and Atlantic Bastion technique as Leonardo’s full-scale Proteus autonomous helicopter accomplished its maiden flight on January 16, marking a key step towards combined crewed and uncrewed operations.
With the altering geopolitical state of affairs and a worldwide rearmament marketing campaign to answer it, drones and different autonomous programs have gotten a serious element of the world’s militaries. Living proof is Britain’s coverage based mostly on the 2025 Strategic Defence Evaluation printed final June. In line with this, the technique going ahead will probably be for the Royal Navy to transform to a high-low mixture of standard crewed ships, submarines, and plane mixed with autonomous ones.
A key factor of that is the Atlantic Bastion program, which introduces a brand new devoted undersea warfare technique the place standard anti-submarine fleets are tremendously supplemented by uncrewed hunters on the floor, underwater, and within the air to create a digital focusing on net to trace any and all submarine site visitors within the Atlantic, North Sea, and Arctic areas.
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A core element of that is Proteus. Developed by Leonardo in Yeovil, Somerset, Proteus is a full-scale helicopter based mostly on the Leonardo AW09, weighing about three tonnes with a payload capability of 1 tonne. It has a most velocity of 140 knots (161 mph/260 km/h) and a flight endurance of 5 hours.
Its operate is to behave as a pressure multiplier for crewed Merlin and Wildcat helicopters in addition to F-35B Lightning II fighter planes, permitting for larger capabilities with out risking human pilots or dearer plane. Its main mission will probably be anti-submarine warfare, although it can additionally probably be assigned uninteresting and soiled jobs like logistical assist. That is a well mannered means of claiming schlepping rations.
Proteus boasts a modular payload bay for carrying sonobuoy dispensers, maritime search radar, and different sensors and communications programs. At the moment, Proteus operates with a excessive diploma of impartial decision-making by means of its inner software program stack quite than being a remotely piloted car. This autonomy will probably be elevated because the testing as the event program continues. It is also not more likely to look very similar to the present prototype because the expertise matures.
“The profitable first flight of Proteus is a major step in delivering the Royal Navy’s maritime aviation transformation imaginative and prescient, and to demonstrating our steadfast dedication to investing in autonomy as a part of a hybrid air wing,” mentioned Commodore Steve Bolton, Royal Navy Deputy Director Aviation Future Programmes. “This milestone alerts our intent to steer technological innovation, to reinforce the combating effectiveness of the Royal Navy in an more and more complicated working surroundings, and to keep up operational benefit in opposition to evolving maritime threats.”
Supply: Royal Navy
