US firm partners BAE Systems Australia on autonomous flight capability

Under the memorandum of understanding, Skyryse will integrate its SkyOS into future BAE Systems autonomous rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. (Skyryse)

California-based Skyryse has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BAE Systems Australia to advance software-defined autonomous flight.

Skyryse founder and CEO Mark Groden told Janes on 25 September that the partnership will assess how Skyryse's SkyOS and BAE Systems Australia's Vehicle Management System (VMS) can be integrated to offer customers greater flexibility to operate aircraft in crewed, remotely piloted, or autonomous modes, depending on mission needs.

According to Skyryse, SkyOS is intended to simplify aircraft management and give pilots more control during routine operations, adverse weather, and emergencies.

BAE Systems Australia said SkyOS will serve as its preferred aircraft operating system and flight-control logic for joint projects developed under the partnership. The company added that its VMS is used on several evolving platforms in the land and air domains, including the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat.

Groden said SkyOS combines simplified flight controls, advanced automation, and autonomous capabilities in an architecture designed for existing and new aircraft, while BAE Systems Australia's VMS brings complementary vehicle-management and autonomy expertise to the partnership.

“The opportunity is especially compelling for existing fleets,” Groden said. “It could allow customers to add new capabilities to aircraft they already trust, including for missions where reducing crew exposure matters.”

Groden cited Skyryse's December 2025 integration of SkyOS into a Sikorsky Black Hawk as an example of the technology. Skyryse said it progressed from integration to flight in 91 days, with the aircraft completing an automated pick-up, hover, and set-down on its first flight.

Skyryse describes the SkyOS-equipped Black Hawk as an optionally piloted aircraft designed to make flying “easier, safer, and more intuitive”.