Patent ID: 8370003

Claim:
A multiple-aircraft lifting system comprising: a plurality of aircraft attached to a payload; a pilot station processor configured to compute a path for said payload towards a desired payload destination, configured to use said path and a current payload state to compute a desired payload state, and configured to use said current payload state and said desired payload state to compute a respective desired state for each one of said plurality of aircraft to transport said payload along said path; and a plurality of swarm avionics processors, wherein each one of said plurality of swarm avionics processors is in communication with a flight control system of a respective one of said plurality of aircraft as well as said pilot station processor, and said each one of said plurality of swarm avionics processors in communication with a respective memory for storing a respective aircraft plant model, said each one of said plurality of swarm avionics processors configured to compute one or more actuation signals to move said respective one of said plurality aircraft based on said respective desired state and said respective plant model.