Autonomous Teaming Demonstrated Between Fighter and Unmanned Jet

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) conducted a joint autonomy exercise at Edwards Air Force Base, demonstrating operational coordination between an F-22 fighter aircraft and the MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet. The activity focused on manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) using government reference autonomy software and secure tactical data link communications.

Context of the Cooperation
GA-ASI, a manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems, partnered with the USAF to evaluate how collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) concepts can be integrated with existing fighter platforms. The USAF provided the F-22 Raptor configured with government-developed autonomy software, while GA-ASI supplied the MQ-20 Avenger configured as a surrogate CCA platform.

The cooperation addressed a key operational challenge: enabling autonomous systems to operate under the supervision of a human pilot while maintaining secure, low-latency communication and mission adaptability. Integration complexity, safety requirements, and interoperability constraints necessitated coordinated development and testing between the manufacturer and the military operator.

Technical Solution and Responsibilities
The demonstration relied on three core technical elements:

The F-22 served as the command aircraft, with a human pilot issuing autonomy directives to the MQ-20 via the PVI interface. The MQ-20 executed these commands using onboard sensors and mission logic to adjust waypoints, perform Combat Air Patrol (CAP), and conduct airborne threat engagement tasks.

The architecture enabled bidirectional data exchange. The MQ-20 transmitted status and mission data to the F-22, while the F-22 transmitted maneuvering and tasking commands. The system demonstrated software-level interoperability and rapid integration between independently developed platforms an important aspect of scalable defence digital infrastructure.

GA-ASI was responsible for configuring the MQ-20, validating autonomy execution logic, and ensuring sensor integration. The USAF managed integration of the reference autonomy software into the F-22 and supervised operational evaluation.

Deployment and Implementation
The mission was conducted from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. During the live exercise, the MQ-20 and F-22 operated in coordinated flight, with the F-22 issuing tasking commands that the MQ-20 executed autonomously.

The test validated:

The MQ-20 platform has served for over five years as a surrogate CCA testbed, supporting iterative software development before and after the introduction of GA-ASI’s purpose-built XQ-67A and YFQ-42A aircraft.

Applications and Operational Impact
The demonstrated MUM-T capability supports the USAF’s CCA framework, where unmanned systems function as force multipliers for crewed aircraft. Practical use cases include:

Operationally, this approach enables workload distribution between human pilots and autonomous systems while preserving command authority. From a systems engineering perspective, the demonstration confirms that autonomy software, standardized interfaces, and tactical data links can be integrated across heterogeneous platforms without fundamental airframe modification.

The exercise represents a step toward scalable deployment of collaborative air combat systems within future defence architectures.

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