Xwing Awarded Military Airworthiness for Autonomous Cessna Caravan

Xwing and fellow autonomous flight provider Reliable Robotics are now among a handful of emerging aviation firms with military airworthiness approvals.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 03:39 PM ET

Verified

Air Force personnel stand in front of Xwing’s N101XW aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan modified for autonomous flight. [Courtesy: Xwing]

Key Takeaways:

AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force's innovation arm, granted Xwing a Military Flight Release for its autonomous Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, enabling it to conduct cargo missions in unrestricted airspace—a first under the Autonomy Prime designation.
During the Air Force's Agile Flag 24-1 exercise, Xwing's self-flying aircraft successfully integrated into national airspace and delivered critical, time-sensitive cargo, demonstrating operational relevance for military logistics.
This milestone highlights autonomous flight's potential for rapid, cost-effective delivery and reduced risk in military operations, supporting agile combat employment (ACE) concepts and paving the way for future military and eventual commercial applications.

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Autonomous flight technology will be deployed by the U.S. military before making its way to the commercial sector.

AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, has awarded autonomy technology provider Xwing military airworthiness for its self-flying Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in the form of a Military Flight Release (MFR), allowing it to perform cargo missions for the Air Force in unrestricted airspace.