Showing posts with label A310. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A310. Show all posts

29 March, 2023

Airbus taking the first step towards Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air refuelling......

Airbus achieves in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone from a tanker aircraft


Airbus Defence and Space and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT.

In a first step towards Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air refuelling (A4R), the technologies demonstrate a significant breakthrough for future aerial operations involving manned and unmanned assets. 

These cutting-edge, ‘Made in Europe’ solutions could reduce crew fatigue and the potential for human error, as well as minimising crew-training costs and providing more effective operations.

“The success of this first flight-test campaign paves the way for developing autonomous and unmanned air-to-air refuelling technologies,” said Jean Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “Even though we are at an early stage, we have achieved this within just one year and are on the right track for manned-unmanned teaming and future air force operations where fighters and mission aircraft will fly jointly with drone swarms.”

Known as Auto’Mate, the technologies were integrated on an A310 MRTT flying testbed, which took off from Getafe, Spain, on 21 March, and on several DT-25 target drones, acting as receiver aircraft and flying from Arenosillo Test Centre (CEDEA) at Huelva, Spain.

Over the waters of the Gulf of Cadiz, the control of the drone transitioned from a ground station to the A310 MRTT, autonomously guiding the DT-25 to the in-flight refuelling position.

During almost six hours of flight test, the four successively launched receivers were sequentially controlled and commanded thanks to artificial intelligence and cooperative control algorithms, without human interaction. The different receivers were controlled and guided until a minimum distance of 150 feet (around 45 metres) from the A310 MRTT. 

25 July, 2020

Iran accuses U.S. of act of terror.

Iran is accusing the U.S. of terrorist actions after an Airbus A310 of  Mahan Air operating a regular scheduled flight from Tehran to Beruit was intercepted by U.S Fighters over Syria on Thursday.

The passenger aircraft had 150 people on board at the time of the incident and reportedly had to take evasive collision avoidance manoeuvres, which left 12 passengers with various injuries, according to official Iranian sources.

Iran said it considers the manoeuvres of two U.S. F15 aircraft in very close proximity to a civilian aircraft on Thursday to have been an “act of terror,” and, according to Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami it has the right to pursue the matter legally.  It is understood that the ministry has also lodged an official complaint to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Friday.

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