Airbus begins testing autonomous flight technology on its aircraft with the DragonFly feature

Autonomous transport assistance isn’t limited to cars, and it looks like it won’t be. Airbus has recently announced that it has begun testing DragonFly, a pilot assist feature that can save a plane in an emergency. The system has the capabilities to automatically direct the aircraft in an emergency.

Autonomous planes are not far away

Although Airbus DragonFly is in a “helper” position for now, it would not be wrong to say that this will change in the future and will replace pilots. However, DragonFly system can realize not only the best route to the airport, but also air traffic control, communication with the operations center, automatic take-off-landing and automatic taxi. If there is an emergency for the pilots, Airbus’ DragonFly feature can land the aircraft safely.

DragonFly is an assistant for now

Airbus is testing new features using an A350-1000 aircraft at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, a test site. All testing is conducted by Airbus UpNext, the company’s subsidiary, before rolling out the technology to the wider fleet. “These tests are one of several steps in the methodical research of technologies to further improve operations and improve safety,” Airbus UpNext’s Isabelle Lacaze said in a statement. Lacaze states that the system was developed with inspiration from the natural abilities of a dragonfly.

During tests, Airbus’ experimental aircraft was able to recognize and respond to external conditions such as flight zones, specific terrains and weather. The aircraft created a new flight route and transmitted this information fully autonomously to other airport operators along with air traffic control. The DragonFly system makes heavy use of sensors and computers located on the aircraft and detects the environment accordingly. This could also help increase flights to difficult landing airports (such as New Zealand’s Wellington Airport) and minimize taxi-related delays.