null
1-855-215-2914
Free Shipping on orders $75+ (Shipping Details Here)
loginLogin
Cart Cart

Aviation Oil Outlet Aviation Oil Outlet

  • CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Contact Us
    • Credit App
    • Quote Request
    • Shipping Info
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Products
    • About Us
    • Mission
    • FAQ
  • RESOURCES
    • Videos
    • Articles
    • Email Sign-up
  • login
    Login
  • cart
    Cart
    • Aviation Lubricants By Application
      • All Aviation Lubricants By Application
      • Aviation Piston Engine Oils
        • Straight Grade Mineral Oil for Engine Break-in
        • Straight Grade Ashless Engine Oil for Normal Use
        • Multi-Viscosity Mineral Oil for Engine Break-in
        • Multi-Viscosity Ashless Engine Oil for Normal Use
        • Multi-Viscosity Grade Oil for Light Sport Aircraft
        • Aviation Oil with Lycoming LW 16702 Additives
      • Aviation Turbine Oil
      • Aviation Hydraulic Oil
      • Aerobatic Smoke Oil
      • Aviation Greases
    • Aviation Lubricants By Weight
      • All Aviation Lubricants By Weight
      • Aviation Grade 65, SAE 30
        • Straight 65 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
      • Aviation Grade 80, SAE 40
        • Straight 80 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
        • Straight 80 Grade, Normal Operation Ashless
      • Aviation Grade 100, SAE 50
        • Straight 100 Grade Mineral, Break-In Oil
        • Straight 100 Grade, Normal Operation Ashless
        • Grade 100 with Lycoming LW 16702 Additives
      • Aviation Grade 120, SAE 60
        • Grade 120 Mineral, Break-in Oil
        • Grade 120 Ashless for Normal Operation
      • Aviation Oil SAE 10w-40
      • Aviation Oil SAE 15w-50
        • Multi-Grade 15w-50 Ashless for Normal Use
      • Aviation Oil SAE 20w-50
        • Multi-Grade 20w-50 Break-In Oil
        • Multi-Grade 20W-50 Ashless for Normal Use
      • Aviation Oil SAE 25w-60
        • Multi-Grade 25w-60 for Engine Break-In
        • Multi-Grade 25w-60 Ashless for Normal Use
    • Lubricant Accessories
    • Shop By Brand
      • AeroShell
      • BlueSky Lubricants
      • Mobil
      • Phillips 66 Aviation
    • About Us
      • Our Products
      • About Us
      • Mission
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Online Sales
      • Online Shopping Security
      • Terms Of Use
    • Resources
      • Videos
      • Articles
      • Email Sign-up
      • Bookmark Our Site
      • Get Our Free Web App
      • Site Map
    • Customer Service
      • Customer Service
      • Return Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Credit App
      • Quote Request
      • Shipping Info
      • FAQ
      • Paypal Resource Page
    • Login Create an Account


    1-855-215-2914
    The Flight Blog - Read Articles The Flight Blog - Read Articles
    Back to Blog Homepage
    US Military Propose Autonomous Robot System for Aircraft

    US Military Propose Autonomous Robot System for Aircraft

    By Sarah Simonovich on Jun 6th 2016

    The Air Force wants autonomous aircraft

    Autonomous aircraft might not generate quite as many conversations as their autonomous car counterparts, though they are far from unheard of; in fact, advances in aviation technology and automation systems already lend to most modern planes being highly automated. Pilots spend considerably less time at the controls now during the -average- flight (the benefits of such are cited as -reduced pilot workload, improved mission prosecution, and improved flight safety-).

    Many might wonder, then, if a majority of in-flight controls are manned by automated systems anyway, why not go all the way and make fully autonomous planes?

    The military is thinking along those same lines, it would appear, according to a public solicitation notice that cites the following objective:

    "Develop a drop-in robotic system or device to rapidly convert a variety of traditionally manned aircraft to robotically piloted, autonomous aircraft. This robotic system will operate the aircraft similar to a human pilot and will not require any modifications to the aircraft."

    So we're not talking about building planes that are fully autonomous from the get-go-that would likely be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. So rather than building a new kind of aircraft from the ground up, the project aims to leverage the existing technologies and aviation platforms and develop a -drop-in robotic system of device- that could convert already existing -traditionally- manned aircraft into robotically piloted, autonomous aircraft.

    The system would essentially replace the "human" element of the pilot with a "robot" pilot, without requiring any modifications to the aircraft itself:

    -Non-invasive approaches to robotically piloted aircraft using existing commercial technology and components offer the benefits of unmanned operations without the complexity and upfront cost associated with the development of new unmanned vehicles. Such a system will have the ability to automatically pilot an aircraft using only the gauges and cockpit controls available to a human pilot thus eliminating custom design and integration costs.-

    Regarding the rationale of aircraft development and design, there are two big factors to consider: safety and cost.

    We always want a safer plane and travel experience, and any and all options must be cost-effective, within reason. On the surface, at least, this proposal seems to satisfy both criteria by seemingly eliminating human pilot error out of the equation, as well as developing a system that should be exponentially more cost effective than designing new fully autonomous planes from scratch.

    This is all rather just speculative at the moment; in order for system development, the proposal must meet a number of criteria, such as feasibility of design, ability for "human-like robotic manipulation," and capability of "vision-based recognition." Once the proposal meets such requirements, a contractor will work to develop a robot system that can manage the proposed tasks and requirements. If and when a prototype is approved, the contractor will pursue commercialization of the various technologies developed for potential government applications.

    The various benefits to this system succeeding are, frankly, rather valuable, particularly if the implementation of such a system diminishes the need for a complete aircraft fleet overhaul (a costly and rather wasteful move). The elimination of pilot error is also, arguably, a plus in adding to the safety factor; however, as with many of the debates between man verses machine, there is certainly room for argument in either case. A fully automated system might cut down on eliminating human error, but then who is at fault in the event of system error? Will there be pilots in the cockpit as a precaution to override the system in the event of malfunction? The answer might not matter so much now, particularly if this technology (if successful) is limited to Air Force use--however, if this kind of technology succeeds and eventually finds its way into commercial shipping aircraft, opinions on the matter may not be so clear cut. 


    You can read a public solicitation notice for Autonomous Robot for Unmanned Air Vehicle Operations here.

    • #Technology
    • #air force
    • #aircraft technology
    • #autonomous planes
    • #autonomous robot aircraft
    • #autonomous robot system
    • #DoD
    • #drones
    • #military aircraft
    • #robot aircraft
    • #robot planes
    • #US Department of Defense
    • #sarah simonovich

    You might also be interested in:


    Newsletter | January 2023
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Jan 12th 2023

    Do You Use Our FREE Web App? Now you can save our website as an app on your
    monthly newsletter
    Newsletter | November 2022
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Nov 22nd 2022

    Other Smoke Oils Pail in Comparison to Bluesky Bluesky White Lightning Smok
    monthly newsletter
    Newsletter | October 2022
    by Aviation Oil Outlet on Oct 28th 2022

    Shop One of Our Most Popular Products - In Stock While Supplies Last One of
    monthly newsletter
    !

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Get the latest updates on new products and upcoming sales

    aoo logo
    Aviation Oil Outlet
    454 South Main Street
    Wilkes Barre, PA 18703
    United States of America

    1-855-215-2914

    E-mail:
    sales@aviationoiloutlet.com

    Follow us on Social:

    Customer Service

    • Contact
    • Credit Application
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Quote Request
    • Returns
    • Shipping Information
    • Sitemap

    Resources

    • About Us
    • Accessibility
    • Brands
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Online Shopping Security
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions of Online Sales
    • Terms of Use
    • Video Library

    Account

    • Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Order History

    © 2023 Aviation Oil Outlet

    payment method icons Bizrate
    ​