Artificial intelligence is capable of replacing the second pilot in Russian aircraft. GosNIIAS has begun working on solving this problem, said Andrey Popov, a specialist in unmanned aerial systems at the institute.
He noted that the current level of automation allows the aircraft to be flown in autopilot mode. The crew is now only involved in manual control during takeoff and landing.
And here the question arises: what if something happens to the health of the ship's commander? How to act in such a case? GosNIIAS is developing several action algorithms, and the issue will definitely find its solution.
It should be noted that in Russia, there are still airliners flying not even with a two-person, but with a three-person crew — this is the Tu-214.
In December 2025, Rosaviatsiya issued a type certificate for an aircraft with exactly this cockpit configuration. There are no more such examples in the civil world aviation industry.