THIS is the new unmanned drone designed to hunt submarines that will enter testing with the Royal Navy in a matter of months.
The Proteus drone designed by defence company Leonardo is fully autonomous with a hydrogen-powered engine to locate enemy submarines.
A prototype design of the aircraft was unveiled by the company on Tuesday after the Navy gave Proteus a £60 million contract in 2022 for the four-year project.
But, the concept of a military Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) has been investigated by Leonardo and the Ministry of Defence since 2013.
Weighing three tonnes and with a one-tonne payload, the robot helicopter developed for the Ministry of Defence is set to be trialled by the Royal Navy this summer.
A test flight is due to take place in mid-2025, Leonardo confirmed.
The aircraft’s modular mission bay that can be swapped out for payloads or fuel means it will be suitable for a variety of missions.
This modular bay is positioned where the cabin usually is and due to the weapon’s adaptability, it is hoped to be a low-cost and flexible asset to the Royal Navy.
Not only could the unmanned aircraft take part in complex anti-submarine missions, but it could also help run supplies and other vital work.
“It is capable of providing operational superiority in complex roles and tasks, ensuring maximum mission availability and effectiveness,” Leonardo stated.
One of its many uses will be to transport sonobuoys to a specific target.
These buoys will be used to detect engine and propeller sounds underwater.
Using this data, the Proteus drone will be able to narrow down and specify the location of the enemy submarine.
Leonardo has praised the aircraft’s ability to swap out payloads for fuel, which will help in warfare situations.
The defence company said: “The ability to plug in specific payloads for different missions aims to give commanders in the field a wide range of options from a single type of aircraft.
“This is both operationally useful and delivers value for money by avoiding the need to buy and maintain different fleets of aircraft.”
The construction of the aircraft will see manufacturers use a range of cutting-edge technology.
This includes 3D printing, the use of composite materials, autonomous flight software and the implementation of AI.
Even the testing of the aircraft will be done with cost-effectiveness in mind after Leonardo created a “digital twin” of the Proteus demonstrator drone.
By using this twin, as well as AI and Machine learning algorithms, in a synthetic environment” Leonardo will be able to run tests and modifications without live aircraft trials.
“Thereby reducing costs and significantly accelerating development when compared to traditional rotorcraft programmes,” the company said.
If adopted by the Navy, the aircraft will be developed in Yeovil, where its sister anti-submarine helicopters, the Merlin and the Wildcat are also made.
It is part of The Proteus programme which is part of the “maritime aviation transformation” for the Royal Navy which will run until 2040.
The test flight which will be carried out in a number of months is set to “demonstrate the viability of large unmanned aircraft systems in the maritime environment,” Leonardo said.
“[It will] function as a test bed for the development and demonstration of autonomous capability.”
