Company starts trials for unmanned aircraft

If successful, the trials could lead to pilotless aircraft being used for such tasks as search-and-rescue operations and for detecting volcanic ash cloud.

Ultimately, the trials could even result in passenger flights being flown in unmanned planes although it could be many years before that happens.

The trials are being conducted by aerospace company BAE Systems using a BAE Jetstream aircraft.

A pilot and a co-pilot are being used for the take-off and landing of the test flights but once the aircraft is airborne a computer takes over.

Equipped with systems far more sophisticated than those on modern passenger planes, the Jetstream plane can avoid collisions with other aircraft, detect and avoid bad weather conditions and can work out a safe place to land in the event of an emergency.

BAE and a series of companies backing the project hope that the trial will demonstrate to regulators such as the Civil Aviation Authority and air traffic control service providers the progress made towards achieving the safe use of what are known as UAV (uninhabited air vehicles) in UK airspace.