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Robot aircraft are to be tested in UK skies as part of a project to refine systems that could create autonomous planes.
Aerospace firm BAE Systems said it would carry out 17 flights using a converted jet that can fly itself.
A converted Jetstream 31 will be used for tests, which will see human pilots handle take-off and landing, but the rest of the 300-mile trips between Lancashire and Inverness will be flown autonomously.
In order to pilot itself, the planes will use data collected from satellites as well as logging radio signals from other aircraft, and a camera to spot other planes and bad weather.
The aim of the trial is to test the software used to fly the plane, as well as the sensor technology that monitors cloud formations, wider weather and other aircraft. The 90-minute flights will be carried out at around 15,000 feet – non-congested airspace.
Maureen McCue, BAE’s head of research and technology, said the company was working with air traffic control services in the UK as part of the trail, and would monitor how the autonomous planes handled themselves alongside their human-piloted counterparts.
Amazon is already testing autonomous drones for deliveries in the UK, while a series of driverless car tests are also under way in several locations around the country.
