In the United States, they tested a system that turns an ordinary plane into unmannedly (video)

The US Air Force research laboratory conducted the first flight tests of the Robopilot system, with which light aircraft can be quickly converted into unmanned vehicles.

According to N+1 , a system that can be quickly dismantled is installed in the cabin of pilots for mounts for chairs. It includes many actuators that are connected to the controls, including the helm of the aircraft. To read the readings of the devices, the system uses several cameras with machine vision, it also contains a GPS receiver and an inertial measuring unit. Other details about the system were not disclosed, but, according to the developers, Robopilot provides autonomous take -off, flight and landing of the aircraft.

The tests of the system installed on the Cessna 206 light aircraft took place in early August in Utah. In total, the plane was in the air for two hours, and then landed. Judging by the video published on YouTube, the landing was not very neat, but the plane did not receive visible damage.

Note that the analogues of the Robopilot system in the United States are proposed to equip helicopters, turning them into drones. So, in 2016, the American company Sikorsky successfully completed the first phase of flight tests of the Matrix helicopters system. During the tests of the SARA (Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft) helicopter, the pilots who were in the tablet’s cabin controlled the tablet, without touching the standard control levers, controlled by the Civil Helicopter Civil Helicopter. At the same time, the take -off and landing was carried out in a completely autonomous mode.