France will perform at-sea trials with an unmanned Boeing H-6U Little Bird helicopter next year using a developmental automatic landing system.
The result of a technology demonstration effort involving avionics specialist Thales and ship builder DCNS, the so-called D2AD programme demonstrated its capabilities during trials performed in the USA earlier this year. These included an H-6U with a safety pilot aboard simulating an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) approaching a moving ground vehicle towing a trailer.
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"The next trials are aimed at demonstrating automatic deck-landing of a UAV on the deck of a frigate in total safety, even in high sea state and low visibility," the companies said in a joint statement.
Under the programme, DCNS is responsible for modelling the motion of the host vessel and providing a harpoon system to assist with the landing process. Thales has developed the positioning system and flight path technologies.
French interest in fielding such a capability for future unmanned rotorcraft is being overseen by the nation's DGA defence procurement agency.
Source: Flight International
