Analysis of Intelligent and Unmanned Driving Modes for COMAC Aircraft

Abstract

In today’s civil aviation sector, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved into a critical arena for technological innovation and global industrial competition, reshaping how the industry operates at every level. Among the wide range of AI applications integrated across a civil aircraft’s full lifecycle—from design and manufacturing to maintenance and operation—intelligent flight stands out remarkably. It not only revolutionizes traditional manual piloting modes with more precise control but also restructures future human-machine interaction paradigms in flight (shifting from pilot dominance to collaborative synergy) and reshapes air traffic management architectures to boost efficiency. This makes it the most distinctive and disruptive direction in the industry, as well as the core focus of global competition in civil aircraft intelligence.This paper elaborates on the core technologies underpinning intelligent flight, outlines a clear threestage implementation path: “Assisted Intelligence → Enhanced Intelligence → Full Intelligence,” identifies trustworthiness/airworthiness (ensuring compliance with strict aviation safety standards) and human factors (optimizing human-machine coordination) as two key foundational technologies needing breakthroughs for realworld application, and shares forward-looking insights on its development trajectory.