News: Aircraft Swarm Around Single Airborne Controller

NewScientist.com news service , Paul Marks
17:40 02 April 2007

Fighter pilots will one day be able to control entire squadrons of uncrewed combat aircraft as well as their own plane, following successful flight demonstrations of a multi-aircraft remote control system in UK airspace.
In addition to cutting the number of pilots risked in military operations, the remote control system could one day also be used to auto-land hijacked planes. Or they might allow lone pilots to orchestrate complex search and rescue operations.
UK defence firm Qinetiq demonstrated the system on 30 March. The pilot of a modified Tornado fighter plane assumed remote control of a BAC 1-11 airliner carrying members of the press, including New Scientist, and flying at an altitude of 4500 metres (15000 feet). The Tornado pilot was also in control of three simulated Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs).
Currently, UCAVs and their unarmed cousins, UAVs, are controlled remotely by pilots on the ground, who may be thousands of miles away. Autonomy could allow an airborne fighter pilot closer to the action take control, with each UCAV sending images and other data back to the control jet.
Autonomy has more control than a normal autopilot system and is more sophisticated, coordinating the movement of several different airplanes simultaneously.
It does this by assigning a software agent to look after each UCAV or UAV and automatically drawing up flight patterns around the likely targets. The uncrewed craft follow these patterns until the fighter pilot, who examines images of possible targets, decides they should investigate, attack, or go home to refuel.

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