Dragonfly  To improve pilot support, Airbus is experimenting with new technologies

Dragonfly  To improve pilot support, Airbus is experimenting with new technologies

Dragonfly 

A350-1000 test aircraft being used by Airbus UpNext, a fully owned subsidiary of Airbus, is being used to test innovative on-ground and in-flight pilot aid systems.

The technologies being demonstrated, collectively referred to as “DragonFly,” include automated emergency divert in cruise, automatic landing, and taxi assistance. They are intended to assess the viability and applicability of further investigating autonomous flight systems in support of safer and more effective operations.

The technologies were able to help pilots throughout the flight test campaign when handling a simulated disabled crew member event, as well as during landing and taxiing operations. The aircraft was able to construct a new flight trajectory plan and interact with both Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the airline operations control centre while taking into account external factors like flight zones, topography, and weather conditions.

In addition, features for taxi assistance have been investigated by Airbus UpNext and tested in the actual world at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. The system gives the crew assistance with speed control, auditory alarms in response to obstructions, and runway direction utilising a specific airport map.

Cooperation between Airbus divisions and outside partners, such as Cobham, Collins Aerospace, Honeywell, Onera, and Thales, allowed for the execution of these tests. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) provided some funding for DragonFly as a part of the French Stimulus plan, which is a component of the European Plan, Next Generation EU, and the France 2030 plan.