Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy have completed a landmark autonomous test flight of a Leonardo AW139 helicopter, a significant advancement in the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program. The demonstration highlights the ability of uncrewed aircraft to operate autonomously in complex environments without pilots or remote operators.
The autonomous flight, carried out in May in Phoenix, Arizona, is a major milestone in delivering scalable logistics support to the Marine Corps. During the flight, Near Earth Autonomy’s onboard autonomy system fully controlled key autopilot modes, with the aircraft successfully executing autonomous flight and decision-making in real time.
Managed under a Naval Aviation Systems Consortium OTA, the ALC program seeks to develop autonomous aerial logistics that reduce risks to personnel and enable faster, larger-scale supply missions. Upcoming development will focus on adding features like automated obstacle avoidance and integration with military logistics chains to create a safer, uncrewed delivery system that improves combat support responsiveness.
Through this collaboration, Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy are working to create a certifiable, scalable autonomy solution suitable for retrofitted and next-generation aircraft, supporting the broader shift toward uncrewed and highly autonomous aviation.
