Airbus Helicopters’ Redesigned VSR700 Unmanned Helicopter Makes Maiden Flight

摘要

Airbus Helicopters’ unmanned VSR700 demonstrator performed its first flight under a new configuration at a drone test center near Aix-en-Provence, taking off and landing several times while tethered to the ground. Its longest flight lasted about 10 minutes, according to the company. The VSR700 program, based on a modified Cabri G2 equipped for autonomous flight, was launched two years ago on a request from the French Navy. That prototype flew frequently in 2017, but Airbus has since redesigned the aircraft to be fully unmanned rather than optionally manned.