Airbus has carried out new tests of a revolutionary autonomous in-air refuelling system that promises to make military and, eventually, civil flights safer and more efficient.
Second round of trials
The new system, dubbed “Auto’Mate”, uses advanced AI-based relative navigation and cooperative control, meaning it involves no pilot and removes the need for the “demanding and precise coordination between an aerial tanker’s crew and the pilot of the “receiver” aircraft”, according to a company press release.
Following successful initial trials in March, involving an Airbus testbed tanker aircraft and four unmanned drones, further demonstrations have been conducted during November 2023. This time, five unmanned drones (Airbus DT-25, two of them being digital twins), were controlled by an A310 MRTT tanker.
📢 BREAKING NEWS – Auto’Mate successfully completes 2nd & final flight test campaign. Airbus, for the first time ever, tested the technologies for autonomous air to air refuelling based on controlling & guiding multiple drones from Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft.… pic.twitter.com/BSvOYNxO6R
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) November 22, 2023
How does it work?
Essentially, as the Airbus statement explains, an aerial tanker can take control of a “receiver” aircraft from several kilometres away and autonomously guide it into the correct position to receive fuel. Once in position, the fuel transfer takes place through the tanker’s refuelling probe. Once refuelling has finished, safe separation occurs.
The innovation is reliant on developments in three main areas. For navigation, cameras, GPS and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) come together with AI and sensor fusion algorithms. For communications, “covert, secure and multi-node” systems have been tested to guide several “receiver” aircraft. And for control, autonomous systems manage critical flight parameters, guaranteeing coordination, and safe and efficient operations with built-in collision avoidance functions.
Put it all together and the technology makes possible crewless air-to-air refuelling of non-piloted combat air vehicles such as drones, as well as opening up use cases in remote carriers and so-called unmanned “loyal wingman” operations. Such assets are central to Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
“Drone swarms”
Despite the rather cosy “Auto’Mate” name, an ominous-sounding description of how it could be used in FCAS was trumpeted by Airbus on social media, where it described the potential for “crewed-uncrewed teaming and future air force operations where fighters and mission aircraft will fly jointly with drone swarms”.
Advantages of the system for civil aviation, on the other hand, include refuelling in poor visibility situations, reducing crew fatigue, as well as bringing down flight and refuelling training costs.
The system will be able to be incorporated into MRTTs. Currently Airbus has over 60 A330 MRTTs in the order pipeline for NATO, as well as for countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
