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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has flown U.S. government-provided autonomy software onboard a company-owned MQ-20 Avenger® unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) during the Air Force Test Center’s all-domain test series titled Orange Flag 25-1.
The demonstration, which took place February 19-21 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, included the use of a government-provided Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) aboard an Avenger jet-powered UCAV. The Avenger is used extensively by GA-ASI as a test bed for future Autonomous Collaborative Platforms.
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.
Orange Flag 25-1
Orange Flag 25-1 is part of the larger Orange Flag Evaluation and Demonstration Event series. This event brought together various stakeholders to test and validate advanced aerospace technologies in realistic operational scenarios.
The government-provided autonomy software – known as a reference autonomy stack – was integrated into the GA-ASI Avenger and demonstrated autonomous flight operation capabilities focused on conducting 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 Shield AI stack demonstrated autonomy skills for safe administrative phases of flight.
The flights proved that GA-ASI aircraft can rapidly shift from company-written software to government-provided or third-party software as required, demonstrating that new generations of GA-ASI’s UCAVs can seamlessly receive upgrades as fast as developers finish them.
The successful flight at Orange Flag 25-1 validated GA-ASI’s initiative to mature its open standards-based autonomy software ecosystem. GA-ASI asserts that the demonstration highlighted the company’s commitment to advancing its UCAV ecosystem through collaboration with partners and government entities and integrating cutting-edge technologies. GA-ASI has additionally been selected by the U.S. Air Force to build and fly the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
GA-ASI Vice President of Advanced Programs, Michael Atwood, commented, “This demonstration marks a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to operationalize autonomy for UCAVs. Flying the government reference autonomy stack at Orange Flag 25-1 and utilizing the government-provided PVI underscores our commitment to delivering robust and adaptable autonomy solutions for the warfighter. We especially appreciate and salute the support we received from the 309th Software Engineering Group.”
