Leonardo Unveils Proteus Rotary-Wing Drone

After greater than a yr of anticipation, Leonardo unveiled an idea mannequin of its Proteus rotary-wing unmanned aerial system (RWUAS) throughout a current protection expo in London.

The drone encompasses a single predominant rotor and a design that “highlights conceptual maturity and modularity.”

The 2- to three-ton class Proteus can assist intelligence, surveillance, goal acquisition, reconnaissance, and logistics supply.

The ultimate design will nonetheless rely upon potential programs to be built-in into the state-of-the-art drone.

Leonardo plans to fly the RWUAS “in the course of this decade.”

Leonardo and @DefenceHQ are happy to unveil a mature idea of the Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) expertise demonstrator, often known as undertaking ‘Proteus’ by the British Armed Forces, at #DSEI23. https://t.co/UAp99MY5Br pic.twitter.com/HwLfwR5jHf

— Leonardo Helicopters (@LDO_Helicopters) September 13, 2023

Guaranteeing Mission Flexibility

The event of the Proteus RWUAS is a part of a $72-million contract awarded by UK Defence Gear and Help in July 2022.

The duty was to design an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator able to monitoring enemy submarines.

Leonardo stated the mission programs and modules built-in into the state-of-the-art drone additionally make it versatile sufficient to assist land missions.

“Uncrewed VTOL [vertical takeoff and landing] plane will rework navy functionality while additionally having utility in different market sectors, each within the UK and world wide,” firm director Adam Clarke stated.

The Proteus will probably be operated by the Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Aviation Power.