From: Harold Brattland <habrattland@arvig.net> Sent: Friday, April 17, 2026 12:33 PM To: Brattland, Mike * <mgbrattland@gerlecreek.com> Subject: Aviation Week :: Certo Demonstrates Naval Mission For Capstone Rotary-Wing UAS Check out this site https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/certo-demonstrates-nava... -- Certo Demonstrates Naval Mission For Capstone Rotary-Wing UAS Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> April 13, 2026 <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2026-04/certo_aerospace_capstone.jpg?itok=BX3PAxj2> Credit: Certo Aerospace LONDON—Certo Aerospace, the UK startup developing the Capstone rotary-wing uncrewed aircraft system (UAS), has demonstrated the system’s potential in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. In a land-based trial in Wiltshire, England, a prototype Capstone air vehicle showed it could carry a representative mix of sonobuoys and operate for 2 hr. performing ASW detection, location, and tracking tasks. Working in conjunction with General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS), the company is proposing the 600-kg (1,322.7 lb.) co-axial rotorcraft as a complement to conventional shipboard helicopters. Also fitted onboard was GDMS’s UYS-506 acoustic processor, which was able to downlink processed sonobuoy data to Capstone’s ground control station. Sonobuoy data was provided by QinetiQ using a sonobuoy data creator that is used to exercise the Royal Navy’s Merlin ASW helicopter acoustics system. The company also demonstrated command and control of the acoustic processor from across the Atlantic using a Starlink satellite communications system. The trial was performed in support of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion technology demonstration program, a UK-led, NATO-supported initiative to rebuild surveillance of the Greenland, Iceland, and UK gap against the growing threat of Russian underwater systems. The Certo Capstone has had a busy 12 months demonstrating its abilities as a potential autonomous logistics and in-extremis medevac platform to the UK defense ministry. Certo is also working with BAE Systems on adapting the platform as a potential autonomous collaborative platform that would support the army’s Boeing <https://aviationweek.com/term/boeing> Apache attack helicopters. “This flight test showed that we can provide a vital new component into the navy’s planned mix of crewed and uncrewed [aircraft] systems for delivery of the ASW capabilities of the future,” said Justin Tooth, Certo Aerospace’s CEO. He said the demonstration flight for Atlantic Bastion, so soon after trials on autonomous logistics, indicated “real confidence” by the UK defense ministry in the rotorcraft. <https://aviationweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/author_thumbnail/public/uploads/2014/03/osborneanthony.jpg?itok=L0wfjts5> Tony Osborne <https://aviationweek.com/author/tony-osborne> Email: tony.osborne@aviationweek.co.uk <mailto:tony.osborne@aviationweek.co.uk> Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines