Semi-autonomous flight of a UAS, where the air vehicle is flown on autopilot, is referred to as what?

The term "human out of the loop" is used to describe a semi-autonomous flight scenario where the unmanned aerial system (UAS) operates under autopilot control, minimizing or eliminating the need for real-time human intervention during flight. In this context, the UAS is capable of performing tasks without direct human control, relying on pre-programmed commands or algorithms to execute its flight plan and handle various flight conditions.

This approach allows for greater efficiency and the ability to manage flight tasks that might be too complex or demanding for human operators alone. It is important to note that while a human may be involved in the broader mission planning or monitoring process, they do not actively control the aircraft's flight in real-time, thus fulfilling the definition of being "out of the loop" during the actual operation of the UAS.

In contrast, other terms such as "human in the loop" would imply that a human maintains active control during flight, which is not the case in this situation. Similarly, "fully automated flight" typically suggests complete autonomy where the system operates independently without any real-time human input, which does not align precisely with the semi-autonomous operation being described. Lastly, "remote control flight" indicates that a human pilot is directly operating the