Overview
- Leonardo built the Proteus technology demonstrator in under two-and-a-half years at Yeovil under a £60 million programme, using the Kopter AW09 airframe.
- Initial runs powered up engines, systems and rotor blades on November 20, validating core functions and moving the aircraft toward first flight in the coming weeks.
- The aircraft is remotely operated with human supervision and approved rules of engagement, with onboard processing designed for harsh wind and sea conditions.
- A payload capacity of about one tonne enables roles such as surveillance, logistics resupply, intelligence gathering, search and rescue, and stand-off weapon carriage.
- Early evaluations will explore anti-submarine warfare tasks, including maritime search patterns, sonobuoy deployment, acoustic analysis, and reporting to a mission commander.