Skydweller Aero has completed the first autonomous flight of its solar-powered aircraft (writes Nick Flaherty).

The design, based on the Solar Impulse 2 solar aircraft, uses a new, proprietary fly-by-wire (FBW) actuation control system with redundant systems to replace the existing pilot controls.

A series of flight tests showed the initial validation of the aircraft’s mechanical transformation from a piloted vehicle to a redundant FBW system flown from take-off to landing without any pilot input. The system demonstrates the basis and airworthiness approval for the high-reliability redundant flight control architecture.

Multiple levels of redundancy in the autonomous vehicle management system will enable the aircraft to operate for many months, using 2 kW from the solar cells on the wings to charge the batteries that power the electric motors. The cells have been updated from those on the original Solar Impulse 2.

“Our approach and speed of execution is based on our team’s collective experience of designing and developing advanced autonomous platforms,” said Skydweller’s CEO Dr Robert Miller. “Given the proven history of the airframe and this validation of our successful transformation from a piloted aircraft to an autonomous platform, Skydweller is prepared to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational utility.”

Skydweller is now testing the payloads for its first fully autonomous flight. The payload, of up to 300 kg, includes options for a comms relay, 4G/5G cellular, day/night full-motion video, satcom and imaging radar.