FutureFlight
Britten-Norman Partners With Blue Bear to Develop Autonomous Islander
The UK manufacturer says its 55-year-old utility aircraft design could be ready for autonomous operations by the mid-2020s.
Britten-Norman Islander
The Britten-Norman Islander aircraft is used for a wide variety of utility roles, including passenger and cargo transportation, emergency medical support, and search and rescue flights. [Photo: Britten-Norman]

Britten-Norman is working on an autonomous version of its Islander utility aircraft. The UK manufacturer also confirmed this week that it intends to convert the aircraft to electric and hybrid-electric propulsion.

The company announced on October 6 that it is working with unmanned systems specialist Blue Bear Systems Research to convert the Islander for autonomous operations. Blue Bear is a so-called Managed Service Provider for unmanned systems with experience operating single and swarm UAS operations in the UK