The Royal Navy’s first full scale uncrewed helicopter has moved closer to flight after completing engine, systems and rotor tests at Leonardo’s Yeovil site.
The aircraft, known as Proteus, is the size of a conventional helicopter but operated through remote tasking rather than direct piloting.
Drone development services
Leonardo developed the technology demonstrator in under two and a half years under a sixty million pound programme. Defence views it as one of the earliest attempts to field a medium lift autonomous vertical take off and landing aircraft. The aim is to understand how uncrewed platforms of this scale should be designed and how they could operate alone or with crewed aircraft in a future hybrid air wing.
