The U.S. military is planning to send an automated Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on real-world, overseas deployments.
The U.S. Air Force signed a $17.4 million contract that includes the purchase of Reliable Robotics’ aircraft autonomy system, the company announced Tuesday. The agreement covers integration, testing, and operational missions aboard the popular single-engine turboprop, which Reliable flew without a pilot on board for the first time in 2023.
According to Reliable, the company’s military airworthiness approval, obtained in January 2024, will be sufficient for the Air Force to begin operations.
Reliable told FLYING that it anticipates Air Force deployments in the Indo-Pacific region—a vast and austere environment where pilots are often stretched thin. Retired Major General David O’Brien, the company’s senior vice president of government solutions, said automation could allow the Air Force to conduct airlifts and other logistics operations at a higher cadence.
“Autonomy has been in use by the military for decades, and we’re confident that after this contract, we’ll show the value of automated cargo operations and grow the size of the deployment,” O’Brien said.
The Air Force is no stranger to uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), from large platforms such as the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk to handheld drones. In the future, uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) could operate in concert with crewed models as “loyal wingmen.” The first flight of two CCA prototypes developed by General Atomics and Anduril is reportedly imminent, per Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Autonomy and the Air Force
The shift toward autonomy is gathering momentum, and the Air Force’s work with Reliable could accelerate it.
The Caravan is the company’s primary testbed. But its Reliable Autonomy System (RAS) is billed as aircraft agnostic, allowing it to automate taxi, takeoff, en route flight, and landing for a wide range of models. Last year, the Air Force agreed to explore the system’s integration on its airlift and aerial refueling aircraft, such as the KC-135 Stratotanker or Cessna 408 SkyCourier.
Now, the branch is looking to add the automated Caravan to its fleet.
“[The Caravan is] smaller, less expensive to acquire, and has a higher dispatch reliability rate than other traditional airlift aircraft used by the military,” O’Brien said. “For example, a C-130J conducting a logistics mission may have an operational cost of around $20,000 per flight hour, compared to $2,000 per flight hour for a Cessna. The Caravan has a 90 percent dispatch reliability rate and can be serviced by any FAA-certified aircraft mechanic.”
Reliable describes the RAS as a continuous engagement aircraft automation system for large, type-certified civil and military UAS with a payload up to 3,000 pounds. It is designed to prevent the most common causes of aviation accidents, including controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control in flight (LOC-I).
RAS-equipped aircraft can be flown autonomously or with an onboard safety pilot. The system automates control surfaces and engine controls, using detect and avoid and precision navigation systems to chart its own path. A remote supervisor can use voice and data links to communicate with air traffic control and other pilots, stepping in if necessary to coordinate an alternative landing spot in the case of inclement weather, for example. Reliable claims the system provides the same safety and reliability as fully crewed flight.
The company is working with the Air Force under a variety of contracts to integrate the RAS on the Caravan. Last year, aircraft equipped with autonomy systems from Reliable and Joby Aviation took part in exercises during which they flew more than 6,600 miles over the course of three days. Upcoming testing, O’Brien said, is intended to demonstrate durability and other benefits of automation.
“We’ve worked with the branch for a number of years to test, demonstrate, and build high-reliability autonomy,” he said. “We’re honored to participate in supporting the mission of the Air Force through autonomous aviation.”
Simultaneously, Reliable is working toward commercial certification of the RAS. The company’s FAA-accepted issue paper defines the certification basis for the automated Caravan. Its project-specific certification plans use regulations for normal and transport category aircraft, laying the framework for easy integration on other models. Last year, the FAA laid out flight test requirements for Reliable’s auto taxi, auto takeoff, and autoland capabilities, a milestone it believes it was the first to reach.
The company has been collaborating directly with Cessna manufacturer Textron Aviation, which owns the Beechcraft and Hawker brands. It also owns a Part 135 airline subsidiary, Reliable Airlines, that is part of FedEx’s feeder network, which comprises more than 230 Caravans. Textron has delivered more than 3,000 of them globally.
“We’ve focused on the Cessna 208 Caravan because of its prevalence and dispatch reliability in cargo operations,” O’Brien said. “The 208 is used by major and regional carriers throughout the U.S., and there is a healthy demand for this specific aircraft. Its production rates and supply chain are stable.”
Reliable and its competitors, such as Merlin Labs, stand to benefit from a pair of White House executive decrees signed in June. The directives order federal agencies to relax operational restrictions for autonomous drones and implement manufacturing and export protections for domestic manufacturers.
“Reliable supports the Administration’s aviation modernization, improvement and safety emphasis,” O’Brien said. “A robust and secure national aerospace system is good for the nation.”
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