- US Navy tests autonomous drone landings on moving ships without GPS
- Onboard cameras guide drones toward ships when satellite navigation becomes unavailable
- New software could reduce reliance on expensive shipboard tracking equipment
The US Navy has tested autonomous aircraft capable of completing assigned missions and recovering aboard moving vessels despite satellite navigation being unavailable or disrupted.
The demonstration used onboard cameras, motion sensors, and specialized algorithms to guide an unpiloted aircraft toward a ship experiencing deck movement.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) reported that its software could eliminate expensive shipboard tracking equipment during certain autonomous aircraft recovery operations.
Software replaces specialised shipboard recovery equipment
Traditional shipboard drone recovery can require dedicated tracking hardware, additional landing equipment, and modifications that increase procurement costs and complicate vessel integration.
The Navy previously relied on specialised equipment during autonomous recoveries, including the RQ-8A Fire Scout's historic landing aboard USS Nashville in 2006.
That operation used shipborne radar to establish the aircraft's position relative to the vessel, guiding the unmanned helicopter approached its landing area.
NAWCAD engineers have developed an alternative that processes visual information through existing aircraft equipment.
The software analyses visual characteristics of the vessel and calculates its movement, allowing the aircraft to adjust its approach before reaching the landing surface.
Its algorithms also estimate deck motion, helping the drone coordinate touchdown with a ship that continues pitching and moving during recovery operations.
Because the system never relies on satellite signals, the same visual guidance would keep working in the conditions that the Navy expects in a high-end fight at sea.
“In a high-end maritime conflict, GPS is the first operational link an adversary attempts to sever,” said Peter Arslanian, a NAWCAD aerospace engineer.
“In contested areas where satellites and communications are jammed, autonomy gives significant advantage to our sailors,” said Rear Adm. Todd Evans, commander of NAWCAD.
The demonstration suggests that onboard sensing and software could lessen reliance on dedicated ship hardware, although the Navy still has to confirm performance during operational testing.
Navy prepares technology for larger uncrewed aircraft
NAWCAD intends to transfer the capability into operational testing, moving beyond controlled demonstrations toward assessments using aircraft and equipment intended for fleet service.
Potential applications include the Navy's Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems programme and its Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiative, which is developing uncrewed aircraft.
The technology could also support the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency's Early VTOL Aircraft Demonstration initiative, known as EVADE.
That programme seeks aircraft capable of taking off from and recovering onto ship decks without requiring conventional launch or recovery equipment.
Five companies, including AeroVironment and Sikorsky, have been associated with the initiative, which seeks practical approaches to operating uncrewed aircraft from maritime platforms.
NAWCAD's proposed software transition could give these programmes another approach to autonomous recovery, although compatibility and reliability must be established across individual aircraft designs.
The Naval Innovative Science and Engineering Program and the Office of Naval Research funded the development effort, which now advances toward operational testing.
Via Defence Blog
