Image: Australian Air Force ©
The Royal Australian Air Force has completed the first long-range flight of an autonomous cargo aircraft, marking a major step for the ADF’s tactical logistics capability. The Jericho Disruptive Innovation (JDI) team, working with Brisbane-based RF Design, flew the JabX aircraft from Archerfield, Queensland, through regional New South Wales, before landing in Whyalla, South Australia.
JabX is a heavily modified Jabiru J400 light aircraft, converted into a fully autonomous cargo platform under JDI’s Project Camel Train. The project aims to establish dedicated uncrewed flight corridors linking remote airfields and isolated coastal bases across northern Australia.
A safety pilot remained on board to satisfy experimental flight regulations, but the aircraft’s control system managed the entire mission independently. It handled take-off, navigation and landing without assistance. Across twelve hours of flying, the pilot intervened only once, due to weather.
RF Design Managing Director Seppo Saario commented that the aircraft can take off and land by itself, and carries a detect-and-avoid system enabling safe operation in civilian airspace, as per a recent press statement.
Project Camel Train’s technical lead, Flying Officer Patrick Phillips, added that the team had not previously tested the backend management system over such distance, calling the flight a major step towards viable long-distance autonomous logistics.
The aircraft, engine and software are all Australian-designed and built, underlining the strength of the country’s domestic aviation sector.
Wing Commander Keirin Joyce, Deputy Director Disruptive Experimentation, said automating cargo movement across northern Australia strengthens the ADF’s logistics tail. This approach keeps dispersed teams supplied without over-tasking the crewed transport fleet, freeing aviators for more complex missions.
With long-range performance now validated, Project Camel Train moves into its next phase: removing the on-board safety pilot entirely, a key milestone towards fully autonomous operations.
Learn more on the Australian Air Force’s website
