In a meeting of the cutting-edge and the mundane, the US Air Force has awarded a contract to purchase Reliable Robotics' autonomous flight technology and integrate it into an ordinary Cessna 208B Caravan utility aircraft for uncrewed cargo missions.
One hallmark of an advanced technology is that as it matures it starts to fade into the ordinary until it takes an effort to notice it.
Radio, for example, was once the epitome of cutting-edge tech. It was the province of obsessed hobbyists and stood out as a symbol of modernity. Everyone knew what a radio was. It was that huge mahogany cabinet or Bakelite set in the living room. Whether in the home, on a ship, or (if you were very posh) in a car, it was a single distinct thing and you understood what it did.
Today, such radios are a niche market at best and those who have them displayed in their homes usually do so out of a sense of nostalgia. And yet, radio technology is everywhere. We just don't notice it. It's what makes Wi-Fi work, connects smartphones, feeds earbuds, makes fitness trackers possible, and countless other applications that we take for granted.
A similar change is taking place in the field of autonomous flight. It wasn't that long ago that an aircraft that were capable of taxiing, takeoff, going from Point A to B, and then landing on its own would have been a nine-day wonder. Now, the Air Force is looking to test it in an ordinary prop plane to take up the slack for routine cargo runs.
Under the new contract, Reliable Robotics will integrate its Reliable Autonomy System (RAS) onto a Cessna 208B Caravan – a run-of-the-mill utility plane designed for simplicity, low maintenance, and high operational reliability. The RAS is billed as platform agnostic, which means it doesn't care what kind of aircraft it's installed in.
The idea, as part of the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, is that by making aircraft like the Cessna autonomous, it will be possible to carry out many more logistical missions without costly pilots. In addition, the test program will also involve installing the RAS into a KC-135 Stratotanker under a separate contract to determine how the tech could support aerial refueling operations.
"Autonomous aircraft are a true force multiplier, enabling every service’s agility concepts – especially Agile Combat Employment, where success depends on rapid, unpredictable logistics across dispersed hubs," said General Mike Minihan (Ret.), former Commander of Air Mobility Command. "Reliable’s automation shows how the Air Force is leveraging autonomy not just to reduce risk, but to expand the number and diversity of locations where sustainment can go – directly, securely, and at the tempo required to win."
Source: Reliable Robotics
