A system for coordinating aircraft servicing tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment at an airport includes a plurality of beacons and one or more processing circuits. The plurality of beacons are configured to couple to the plurality of ground support equipment. The one or more processing circuits include one or more processors storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processing circuits to acquire signals from the plurality of beacons and coordinate movement of the plurality of ground support equipment based on the signals and in accordance with an aircraft servicing plan.

A towbarless tractor includes a prime mover, a capture system including a cradle configured to support a nose gear and a winch assembly including a winch strap configured to selectively couple with the nose gear, the winch assembly configured to selectively retract the winch strap to pull the towbarless tractor towards the airplane such that the cradle is pulled underneath the nose gear, and a control system configured to at least one of automatically retract the winch strap in response to the cradle being in a lifted position without the nose gear being supported thereby and without the winch strap being retracted, limit operation of the prime mover, engage a brake, or prevent releasing the brake in response to determining that the winch strap is not fully retracted, or automatically stop retracting the winch strap in response to the winch strap being fully retracted.

A towbarless tractor includes a prime mover, a capture system including a cradle configured to support a nose gear and a winch assembly including a winch strap configured to selectively couple with the nose gear, the winch assembly configured to selectively retract the winch strap to pull the towbarless tractor towards the airplane such that the cradle is pulled underneath the nose gear, and a control system configured to at least one of automatically retract the winch strap in response to the cradle being in a lifted position without the nose gear being supported thereby and without the winch strap being retracted, limit operation of the prime mover, engage a brake, or prevent releasing the brake in response to determining that the winch strap is not fully retracted, or automatically stop retracting the winch strap in response to the winch strap being fully retracted.

An aircraft recognition system includes a ground support equipment including a sensor configured to acquire data regarding one or more external characteristics of aircrafts and one or more processing circuits configured to: at least one of: (a) acquire a location of the ground support equipment or (b) acquire the data from the sensor regarding the one or more external characteristics of a respective aircraft proximate the ground support equipment, and determine a type of the respective aircraft based on at least one of the location of the ground support equipment or the data.

An autonomous vehicle includes a chassis for housing an aircraft ground contacting structure (GCS) and one or more GCS coupling and lifting mechanisms, GCS securing mechanisms, drivetrain, batteries and a sensor stack for performing autonomous navigation. Further, the vehicle incorporates multiple sensors, such as high-resolution machine vision cameras, GPS modules, Lidars, ultrasonic range sensors, and radars. The sensors deliver spatial perception capabilities to the vehicle and feed relevant data to onboard computing units to achieve location-based navigation, precision alignment with aircraft, obstacle detection and collision avoidance capabilities. A series of batteries deliver power to all components, including but not limited to, motors, electromechanical units, onboard computers, sensors and any other component requiring electrical input. External ports allow the vehicle to recharge batteries after each utilization cycle without replacement. The vehicle is capable of recognizing its power state and can autonomously navigate to a base station and dock itself for charging.

A towbarless tractor for towing an airplane having a nose landing gear includes a chassis, a body supported on the chassis, and a capture system. The capture system includes a lift body coupled to at least one of the body or the chassis, a cradle coupled to the lift body, and a side-shift actuator configured to selectively move the cradle along a lateral direction relative to the body.

A towbarless tractor for towing an airplane having a nose landing gear includes a chassis, a body supported on the chassis, and a capture system. The capture system includes a lift body coupled to at least one of the body or the chassis, a cradle coupled to the lift body, and a side-shift actuator configured to selectively move the cradle along a lateral direction relative to the body.