The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division successfully tested an unmanned drone that can land on Navy ships without GPS or pilot control, according to an announcement on Oct. 15. The flight demonstration, conducted at sea, showed the aircraft could execute navigation and landing on a pitching vessel even when satellite signals were unavailable or jammed.
"In contested areas where satellites and communications are jammed, autonomy gives significant advantage to our sailors," said Rear Adm. Todd Evans, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.
The aircraft uses commercial-standard cameras and motion sensors to guide itself, rather than relying on satellite navigation. Its guidance and control software recognizes the ship's shape and visual markers to plot its flight path like a human pilot would, while algorithms predict the ship's deck movements in real time to ensure a smooth landing.
The approach represents a significant cost reduction from traditional methods. Current unmanned aircraft landings rely on multimillion-dollar radar systems, specialized flight deck equipment and ship modifications that can take months to install. The new software works with nearly any unmanned aircraft computer system and can be applied to drones of all sizes, from small tactical quadcopters to large combat-class aircraft.
The Navy plans to conduct operational testing on fleet platforms and is working to adapt the technology to larger unmanned systems, including tactical resupply drones. The Naval Air Warfare Center, based in Patuxent River, Maryland, also operates major sites in St. Inigoes, Maryland, Lakehurst, New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida.