Leonardo, in collaboration with the Royal Navy and the UK Ministry of Defence's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Future Capability Innovation (FCI) team, has introduced the Proteus technology demonstrator aircraft design.
This approximately three tonne (t) uncrewed rotorcraft will serve as a platform to showcase advancements in autonomy, payload modularity, and interchangeability.
It will develop new rotorcraft technologies including new design and manufacturing techniques.
The Proteus is aligned with the Royal Navy's Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATx) strategy, which aims to evolve maritime aviation through 2040, focusing on enhancing mass at sea and bolstering future anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
The design of the Proteus leverages components from Leonardo's existing helicopter portfolio to reduce costs and expedite the aircraft's development.
Leonardo's experience from its Uncrewed Air System (UAS) programmes has also informed the design process.
The Proteus will validate the use of large UAS in maritime environments and will act as a testbed for autonomous capabilities, such as flight control laws and algorithms for large vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Featuring a modular payload bay, the Proteus is engineered for mission role flexibility, allowing for a balance between fuel and payload depending on the mission requirements.
This design aims to provide commanders an aircraft that can accommodate various payloads for different missions, enhancing operational utility while delivering cost savings by reducing the need for multiple aircraft fleets.
Leonardo's Yeovil site, known as the Home of British Helicopters, is focused on an autonomy development roadmap that encompasses the necessary capabilities for autonomous flight and mission execution.
This includes the maturation and testing of transformative technologies for rotorcraft design, manufacturing, and onboard systems.
Leonardo has developed a 'digital twin' of the Proteus to streamline development by using AI and machine learning algorithms in a simulated environment, which can reduce costs and accelerate the development process compared to traditional rotorcraft programs.
The company is also exploring new digital manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing and low-temperature cure composite materials, which can simplify production stages and reduce part manufacturing costs.
These technologies aim to enhance development agility, lower lifecycle costs, and improve manufacturing resilience and sustainability across Leonardo's supply chain.
Furthermore, Leonardo is leveraging the Proteus programme to evolve its customer and end-user collaboration approach.
By adopting Agile methodologies that prioritise continuous collaboration and iterative improvement, Leonardo has fostered a closer partnership with DE&S and the Royal Navy.
This collaboration has accelerated the €71m ($72.96m) project, initially contracted in 2022, allowing the demonstrator to remain on schedule for its inaugural flight in mid-2025.
