Leonardo, Thales, Airbus Helicopters and other partners, recently carried out a comprehensive demonstration of a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system under the project named MUSHER, which the European Union supports. The demonstration occurred in France and Italy between 30 September and 9 October, showcasing various manned helicopters and unmanned systems operating within a unified MUM-T network.
"Operating helicopters and unmanned aerial systems in concert provides valuable additional mission capabilities such as increased situational awareness with UAS sharing video in real-time for improved decision-making, all while preserving critical assets and resources," said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. "The success of the MUSHER demonstration is a major step forward for our ambition at Airbus which is to field MUM-T capabilities by bringing European industrial know-how together for the benefit of military and civil customers," he added.
The experiment was led by Airbus, which deployed the H130 FlightLab as a manned platform and the VSR700 unmanned aerial system (UAS) on a DGA test range. Meanwhile, Leonardo performed the demonstration with a helicopter and an optionally piloted vehicle. Thales, coordinator of the MUSHER project, provided a supervision station and a mission debriefing station. Space Applications Services was in charge of the mission preparation station. Indra led simulation activities in preparation for the demonstration, while ONERA provided studies on crew workload.
The MUSHER demonstration featured multiple scenarios with diverse aircraft flying concurrently over France and Italy. These missions were developed according to operational concepts outlined by the defence ministries of France, Italy, and Spain. For instance, one scenario highlighted the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and piloted helicopters in an anti-piracy operation. Initially, the UAS conducted surveillance, and when it identified suspicious activity on a boat, the piloted helicopter arrived to assume command of the UAS in readiness for an intervention.
The in-flight tests were conducted to showcase interoperability levels 2 to 4, which included receiving UAS data directly from manned helicopters and the ground station, as well as controlling and monitoring the UAS from the helicopters. The demonstration also validated the integration of manned helicopters and UAS from various companies and countries, operating in remote locations, into a unified MUM-T system.
The MUSHER project was initiated as part of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) introduced by the European Commission in December 2021. Its objective is to create a versatile European MUM-T system capable of functioning effectively in various settings (civil, military, or combined), to decrease crew workload and maximize operational capacity.
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