STRIX's first VTOL flight involved testing the ability of the UAS' autonomous system to control a VTOL configuration during launch, sustained hover, and recovery. (BAE Systems)
BAE Systems Australia's (BAESA's) STRIX Uncrewed Aerial System has conducted its first vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) flight, with the company saying the flight was made using the aircraft's autonomous onboard system.
STRIX is a multidomain, multirole unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for deep strike, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR), and electronic warfare (EW).
The objective of the test flight, which was conducted in late October, was to “test the fundamental ability of BAE Systems' Vehicle Management System (VMS) to control a novel VTOL configuration during launch, sustained hover, and recovery”, the company said.
BAESA described the VMS as the “brain” of STRIX. “The VMS conducted STRIX flying fully autonomously,” a company spokesperson told Janes on 12 December.
“The system is also capable of human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop operation. BAE Systems has … artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities as part of its software stack,” the spokesperson added.
According to BAESA, the VMS has been matured on other “novel uncrewed configurations”. These include the Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and the M113 Optionally Crewed Combat Vehicle (OCCV). “During these trials, the STRIX team successfully tested both the body and the brain, culminating in the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flying fully autonomously with a remote pilot providing safety overwatch,” BAESA said.
The tests took place at Henderson shipyard, south of Perth, in Western Australia.
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