Unmanned aircraft can now hunt in packs

QINETIQ HAS ANNOUNCED the development of the world's first ever system able to control and organise multiple unmanned aircraft, the company said today.

The project was sponsored as part of a recent programme for the Ministry of Defence.

A twin-jet aircraft, a BAC1-11 for those plane spotters browsing the INQ from a Greek prison, has been central to the demonstration, QinetiQ said. The jet was converted into a fully-functional unmanned air vehicle, also known as a UAV. The plane was controlled remotely for the demonstration, but also demonstrated was a package of simulated UAVs on a strategic level at the same time.

Supposedly the test was a complete success, with the BAC1-11 flying and working on its lonesome - of course, a crew was on board for safety reasons, making sure the demonstration didn't take a turn for the disastrous.

Andrew Sleigh of QinetiQ said in a release, "this demonstration is a wonderful achievment for the team. The success is an important step in proving that complex autonomous decision-making technologies are ready to move from a simulated world to realistic flight conditions."

Andy reckons that the new technology could well lead to just the one human operator controlling UAVs from a control tower without the risk that manned aircraft carries. µ