The demonstration took place in France and Italy from 30 September to 9 October and involved multiple manned helicopters and unmanned systems connected to a single network.
In an extraordinary investigation published on Thursday, the ATSB also revealed Blake Wilson “did not hold the appropriate endorsements to fly at night” and had flown “well below” the 1,000ft minimum height required for built-up areas.
The aircraft, to be based in Broome, will support PHI’s offshore energy transportation activities, as well as search and rescue and medevac operations. The company has three Australian bases in Broome, Exmouth and Darwin.