Airbus tests autonomous cargo helicopter

The US Army tested Airbus's MQ-72C Lakota Connector, an autonomous cargo helicopter designed to reroute around suddenly restricted airspace during flight operations.

Remote control from 70 miles away

Operators controlled the helicopter from distances reaching seventy miles through Starlink satellite communications, enabling commands beyond conventional line of sight.

Five demonstration flights in Alabama

Airbus conducted five demonstration flights at Huntsville Executive Airport in Alabama, showcasing autonomous hovering, complex turns, and conventional airport traffic patterns.

Helicopter avoids new no-fly zones

During one exercise, the aircraft encountered newly introduced restricted airspace and calculated an alternative route using its onboard autonomy systems without pilot intervention.

“The aircraft had to autonomously make decisions about how it was going to route itself around the no-fly zones.”

AI and sensors enable autonomous flight

Shield AI's Hivemind software interprets imagery from two forward and backward facing LiDAR sensors and a nose mounted electro optical camera to guide navigation decisions.

Cargo doors expected by 2030

Airbus based the MQ-72C on its UH-72B Lakota but needs front mounted clamshell doors for cargo operations. Flight and wind tunnel tests remain outstanding before installation around twenty twenty nine or twenty thirty.

Army seeks long distance supply solution

Major General David Gardner of the one hundred and first Airborne Division explained the need to transport heavy equipment across hundreds of miles following air assaults with future M V seventy five A tiltrotors.

“We're not going to sling load something moving two hundred fifty ish knots for five hundred miles.”