A fully autonomous Cessna Caravan shuttled components to support a major military exercise between nine different airports across two states earlier this month. The Caravan, operated by Xwing, which was acquired by Joby earlier this year, covered 3,900 miles and the human monitor pilot onboard never touched the controls. Exercise Agile Flag 24-3 is one of a series of mobilization drills that qualifies new recruits in command and control roles.
The Caravan delivered small cargo needed to keep the exercise running, and it spared the Air Force the drain on resources that would have resulted if they’d used a regular cargo plane: “We were pleased to continue demonstrating the capabilities of our autonomy technology during Agile Flag 24-3, where we completed dozens of fully autonomous aerial missions and showcased an ability to perform rapid resupply,” said Maxime Gariel, Autonomy Lead at Joby. The company also demonstrated a portable remote supervision system using a laptop and a satellite communications unit that fits in a backpack.
