# Autonomous aircraft

> An autonomous aircraft is an aircraft which flies under the control of on-board autonomous robotic systems and needs no intervention from a human pilot or remote control. Most contemporary autonomous aircraft are unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with pre-programmed algorithms to perform designated tasks, but advancements in artificial intelligence technologies (e.g. machine learning) mean that autonomous […]

An **autonomous aircraft** is an aircraft which flies under the control of on-board autonomous robotic systems and needs no intervention from a human pilot or remote control. Most contemporary autonomous aircraft are unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with pre-programmed algorithms to perform designated tasks, but advancements in artificial intelligence technologies (e.g. machine learning) mean that autonomous control systems are reaching a point where several air taxis and associated regulatory regimes are being developed.

## History

### Unmanned aerial vehicles

The earliest recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting occurred in July 1849, serving as a balloon carrier (the precursor to the aircraft carrier) Significant development of radio-controlled drones started in the early 1900s, and originally focused on providing practice targets for training military personnel. The earliest attempt at a powered UAV was A. M. Low’s “Aerial Target” in 1916.

Autonomous features such as the autopilot and automated navigation were developed progressively

…

*Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_aircraft)*

---

## Metadata

- **URL:** https://wpsearchai.com/autonomous-aircraft/
- **Published:** 2026-01-28T18:53:15+00:00
- **Modified:** 2026-01-28T18:53:15+00:00
- **Author:** admin
- **Categories:** Robotics