Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) directorate AFWERX and Joby Aviation said they successfully demonstrated autonomous flight capabilities of a modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan during a Department-Level Exercise at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in late July. Operating under the Resolute Force Pacific series, the aircraft flew daily sorties to neighboring islands while being remotely managed from Guam, more than 3,800 miles away.

Each mission was monitored by a safety pilot onboard, though no manual inputs were needed. According to AFRL, the demonstration validated the aircraft’s ability to execute autonomous taxi, takeoff, enroute operations and landings at unfamiliar airfields using onboard sensors and external imagery.

Such capability is being explored as part of the Depa

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