Airbus has been able to successfully test Auto’Mate technology, which enables unmanned aerial refueling. The company conducted two tests that lasted 12 hours in total.

What is known

Air tanker Airbus A310 MRTT took part in the tests. Auto’Mate technology allowed him to take control of eight DT-25 unmanned aerial vehicles in turn (four in each test).

Initially, drones were controlled using a ground station. After the drones reached the Gulf of Cadiz, control passed to the A310 MRTT. He managed to realign the drones to match the position of the aircraft that needed to be refueled.

Airbus experts will study GPS data, as well as information from LiDAR and cameras, to better assess the success of the tests. In the future, Airbus plans to conduct new tests, reducing human participation in them and, accordingly, increasing the level of autonomy.

Source: Defense News