A remote-controlled drone and an autonomous vehicle mended into one: this is how UK-based BAE Systems foresees the development of its autonomous (or self-driving) airplane, the first of its kind in the world.

BAE Systems has been doing its tests in an uncongested area of Warton in Lancashire, with a Jetstream 31 aircraft, cruising over the Irish sea. Lancashire is around 230 miles away from London.

BAE Systems Pilot Clive Girven says, "Everything is (controlled) through the numbers that you can see out there which indicate speed, altitude, (and where it's) heading." Girven, as the pilot, is based on the ground station with monitoring equipment that help him control the aircraft.

BBC reporter Marc Cieslak, on an exclusive feature of the self-driving aircraft which he was also given the chance to alight, says that he was "shocked" to see joysticks controlling the aircraft.

For the autonomous airplane to run smoothly, it depends on three factors: data from satellites, data from radio signal broadcasts from other aircrafts, and its built-in cameras that are able to detect other air users.

Cieslak says, "Pilots seat in front, but the aircraft is being controlled on a 15-year old laptop running on Microsoft XP."

Rod Buchanan, the main controller on the test flight, says that all sky and aircraft data are being collected and collated on his laptop. He adds, "Once we established on the root, I can hand over the computer data to Clive (BAE Systems pilot on the ground)."

In-flight and ground teams have to accomplish many different tasks to make the autonomous aircraft work as it cruises on air. Teams have to make sure that the built-in technology is able to recognize and avoid bad weather and other airplanes. Also, a safe landing should be ensured with the aircraft able to touch down by itself.

BAE Systems' Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is the technology behind the self-driving aircraft project. This system is a step further from current driverless aircrafts where human intervention, especially ground support, is still needed to make things work. However, with UAS, autonomous aircrafts "will be able to operate by themselves and successfully complete missions with the minimum human intervention... (They) would be able to take off, carry out its mission, report back on any interesting data, and land without the need for human intervention."

BAE Systems is a British multinational defense, security and aerospace company. It is a public limited company with a total revenue of $22.2 billion back in 2015. Its products range from civil and military aerospace, defense electronics, naval vessels, and land warfare systems.