GCAP: Leonardo's M-346 soon to fly with gregarious drones 22/07/2024 | Pietro Batacchi

Leonardo is working hard on GCAP and related concepts and technologies. In this context, by the end of the year, or early in 2025, the company will begin a series of flight tests with a 'mother' M-346 controlling gregarious drones of different types, also known as adjuncts.

Initially, these will be virtual adjuncts, i.e. aircraft modelled and reproduced in the PC2Lab (Product and Concept Capability Laboratory) at Leonardo's Turin facility and in a simulator at the Venegono site, which will interact and dialogue in datalink with an M-346 in flight. The latter will have an experimental configuration with a rear station that will be equipped with an ad hoc interface for controlling gregarious drones according to the MUM-T (Manned Unmanned Teaming) concept. In this demo, the company will be able to further exploit all its experience in the field of training and LVC (Live Virtual Constructive) systems.

The next step will also be to operate an in-flight gregarious drone, which, according to us, could be a derived from the MIRACH family of unmanned targets (pending the company's completion of the development of the GCAP adjunct demonstrator). As more information is gained from the tests, the experimental M-346 will also be modified, and will then be equipped with some of the improvements included in the M-346 Block 20 configuration, officially launched today at Farnborough. Modifications include a Large Area Display workstation, an immersive helmet with augmented reality, and a new low-profile HUD.


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