Royal Navy's new autonomous helicopter just took off
Proteus, the Royal Navy's fully autonomous helicopter, made its first flight in mid-January 2026 in Cornwall.
No pilot needed—just remote monitoring from the ground.
It's a big leap for Britain's high-tech maritime plans.
Why Proteus matters
Built with £60 million at Leonardo's Yeovil site, Proteus isn't just cool tech—it helps keep 100 skilled jobs and is central to the UK's strategy for spotting submarines across the Atlantic, North Sea, and Arctic.
What makes it special?
Proteus weighs about three tons and can carry over one ton of gear.
It can fly at speeds up to 140 knots (that's around 258km/h) and has a flight endurance of five hours.
Its tough airframe uses over 40 advanced composite parts so it can handle rough sea conditions.
Next-level autonomy
The real game-changer? Proteus runs on smart software that lets it "see" its environment and fly missions solo—even in wild weather or as part of bigger naval teams.
It sets a new bar for what unmanned helicopters can do at sea.