Airbus Helicopters is developing an experimental onboard image processing management system aimed at performing automatic approaches and landing in challenging conditions, as well as paving the way for future sense and avoid applications on autonomous vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) systems.

Codenamed Eagle, for Eye for Autonomous Guidance and Landing Extension, this system collates the helicopter's image processing functions and feeds them into the avionics system, thereby improving the crew's situational awareness and reducing the pilot's workload by automating and securing approaches, take-off and landing in the most demanding environments. Ground tests of Eagle have been ongoing since May this year and initial flight tests on a sample helicopter will begin shortly.

Airbus Helicopters has also received EASA certification for the Rig'N Fly for its H175 super medium helicopter. Already certified for the H225, this avionics upgrade enhances the H175's offshore mission capability providing fully automatic rig approaches.