The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-20 Avenger Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) carried out a flight equipped with autonomy software provided by the US government in what the company has described as a milestone.
GA-ASI said in a press statement that the demonstration was part of the Air Force Test Center’s all-domain test series, Orange Flag 25-1, which took place from February 19 to 21 at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Orange Flag 25-1 was ostensibly part of the larger Orange Flag Evaluation and Demonstration Event series, which aims to assess aircraft technology in a full operating environment.
GA-ASI uses the Avenger UCAV extensively as a test bed for future Autonomous Collaborative Platforms and has been actively testing various AI-powered autonomy systems for the last couple of years.
The jet-powered MQ-20 flew with autonomy software called the “Reference Autonomy Stack.” The demonstration reportedly included the use of a government-provided Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI), which is the man-machine interface of the aircraft flight deck. This PVI facilitated control and monitoring of autonomous flying operations, with an emphasis on air-to-air engagements.
“The government-provided PVI enabled seamless control and monitoring of the autonomy stack, highlighting the interoperability and flexibility of GA-ASI’s UCAV ecosystem,” the company said in the statement. “The Shield AI stack demonstrated autonomy skills for safe administrative phases of flight.”
More importantly, GA-ASI demonstrated the Avenger’s capability to rapidly switch between various autonomy systems while in flight.
“GA-ASI also demonstrated the ability to rapidly swap between autonomy systems midflight over Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellites utilizing an autonomy product from Shield AI,” the statement added.
The flight also demonstrated GA-ASI aircraft’s adaptability, allowing them to switch between government-provided, company-developed, and third-party vendor software as needed. This has significant ramifications for the flexibility of future drones, allowing them to quickly obtain new software that will enable additional capabilities and/or improved interoperability once they are in operation.
“GA-ASI continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing autonomy for UCAVs through a series of flight tests and collaborations with government and industry partners. These efforts are aimed at developing an autonomy infrastructure that enables rapid integration and validation of tactical software applications while maintaining safety of flight and providing warfighters with the most advanced capabilities possible. GA-ASI has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to build and fly the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA),” the statement added.
Shield AI, a relatively new and rapidly expanding aerospace firm, developed the drone’s reference autonomy stack, which the company calls Hivemind. The first Hivemind from Shield AI was an “AI pilot” that was used in actual fighter aircraft test flights connected to cutting-edge US Air Force programs.
The Hivemind that was used on the MQ-20 will support the Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. Hivemind ensures adaptive, robust, and coordinated operations across many platforms by empowering unmanned systems to carry out complicated tasks in disrupted, disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth (DDIL) environments. With the help of Hivemind AI, a team of drones could carry out a mission by collaborating dynamically, reading and responding to the battlefield and enemy threats.
MQ-20 Avenger
The Avenger, a jet-powered successor to General Atomics’ Predator/Reaper family, made its first flight in 2009. It has a 20-hour flying duration, certain low-observable characteristics, and a flight ceiling of 50,000 feet. The MQ-20 can carry weapons both outside and inside a weapons bay.
It is a testbed for the US Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program or a loyal wingman drone that is envisioned to fly in a manned-unmanned teaming (MUMT) with crewed fifth—and sixth-generation fighter jets. The objective is to employ these drones to fly individually or in small groups for various operations, such as electronic warfare, air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, targeting, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The US is currently testing UCAVs which could fly autonomously with AI-driven software, and the Avenger has been the test bed for different AI-driven systems over the years.
In 2020, GA-ASI announced a semi-autonomous flying test. During this test flight, simulated Avengers collaborated with the unmanned aircraft to perform a simulated search for aerial threats inside a predetermined area.
In another instance, two General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger UAVs demonstrated in-flight communication between each other and “responded to navigational commands, stayed within specified geo-fences, and maintained flight envelopes,” while monitored from the ground command and control station.
In October 2023, GA-ASI announced that it had initiated flight demonstrations of its Aerial Recovery System using the MQ-20 Avenger. During the demonstration, a towline was extended and retracted from an Extended-Range version of the MQ-20 Avenger.
At the time, the company noted that the system will enable the mid-air launch and retrieval of small drones from larger UAVs, forming a pivotal aspect of its comprehensive vision for the potential applications of such aircraft in future conflicts.
The MQ-20 was also tested by the US Navy, which is also reportedly looking to induct a loyal wingman drone that will work in tandem with a crewed carrier-based fighter jet.
In November 2024, the MQ-20 Avenger was flown for the first time using Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS), which is reportedly being installed on its Nimitz and Ford-class supercarriers. During the test flight, MQ-20 also used its Tactical Autonomy Core Ecosystem (TacACE) software to fly in a semi-autonomous mode.
Additionally, the Avenger platform had earlier flown with Lockheed Martin’s Legion Pod, an infrared search and track sensor (IRST) intended to locate and follow other aircraft over great distances.
All these tests reveal that the Avenger is heralding a new future where uncrewed aircraft will fly autonomously alongside manned fighter jets to ensure the survivability of expensive crewed aircraft. The US is diligently working on the production of cost-effective CCA drones, and the long-term vision includes the potential acquisition of up to 1,000 CCAs or even more, depending on operational needs and budget constraints.
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