A Fun Name for a Run-of-the-Mill Project

Bell Textron showed off its new Bell 429 testbed aircraft for the ALFA project, showing the way forward for an industry eager to advance.

The program, 'Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy', seems more like a nice-sounding backronym, but the end result should be the same: Advanced, self-flying aircraft that can be trusted to operate with minimal human oversight. The ALFA platform will be dedicated to performing flight maneuvers with an aircraft safety system and executing autonomous fly-by-wire flights. That integration is a critical aspect of its development, Bell says. If all goes well with ALFA, it will create a far better arrangement for autonomous systems, ones that separate safety functions from flight controls, allowing for "rapid development and evaluation of novel flight control technology without compromising overall safety."

The testbed took off from Bell's Commercial Assembly and Delivery Centre in Mirabel, Canada before heading out to the Bell Flight Research Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

"Fly-by-wire flight, coupled with additional capability that are being integrated into ALFA, provide a great foundation for Bell to expand on its autonomous capabilities," said Jason Hurst, executive vice president, Engineering, Bell.

"This aircraft will serve as a flying lab that will inform future autonomous technology development, which we can ultimately leverage to deliver the best rotorcraft solutions to global operators."

FMI: www.bellflight.com