First Autonomous AW139 Flight Unlocks NextGen US Military Logistics

According to information published by PR Newswire on June 17, 2025, Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy have completed the first autonomous test flight of a Leonardo AW139 helicopter as part of the United States Marine Corps' Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program. This test flight, conducted in May in Phoenix, Arizona, represents a significant step toward deploying uncrewed autonomous helicopters for logistics missions in contested environments, without an onboard pilot or remote operator. Read more. 

This represents the first instance in which an AW139 helicopter has operated with its flight modes fully controlled by embedded autonomous systems (Picture source: Leonardo)


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