Airbus unmanned H145 helicopter during autonomous flight test. (Photo: Shield AI)
Airbus Group’s U.S. defense business recently conducted the first flight test of an unmanned H145 helicopter using an autonomy pilot software from Shield AI in support of a Marine Corps aerial logistics prototyping program.
The H145 flight in Grand Prairie, Texas, was under control of Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software that was integrated with Airbus’ Helionix avionics suite to provide mission control of the aircraft. The software conducted automatic takeoff and landing, and completed other test points to demonstrate control of the aircraft without pilot input, the companies said on August 19.
The test was part of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense’s development of the MQ-72 Lakota Connector for the Marine Corps Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program. The Marine Corps selected the company in 2024 to prototype an unmanned version of its UH-72 Lakota for the ALC effort.
Hivemind, which has been demonstrated on multiple aircraft, including an F-16 testbed, was integrated into the H145 in under two months. The companies announced their partnership in April. The autonomy pilot will eventually be integrated into the future MQ-72C design to meet ALC requirements.
“This flight test is a testament to the strength of our ALC team and opens the aperture on new mission possibilities to support the Marine Corps,” Rob Geckle, chairman and CEO of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, said in a statement. “We are bringing together the best across industry to deliver an aircraft that changes how unmanned operations can support missions across a wide range of logistics.”
L3Harris Technologies is Airbus’ lead systems integrator for the ALC effort.
The Marine Corps in 2024 also selected a team led by Near Earth Autonomy for the ALC prototyping program. That team, which includes Honeywell and Leonardo, also recently conducted a flight test using the AW139 helicopter equipped with autonomy technology. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit has also been tasked by the Marine Corps to demonstrate an optionally-piloted UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter integrated with the company’s Matrix autonomy software to inform the ALC program.