The pilot of a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter successfully maneuvered an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet during a demonstration of human-machine flight cooperation in an Oct. 21 flight test, according to drone maker General Atomics.
“The test was conducted by industry and was a proof-of-concept demo of crewed and uncrewed teaming operations,” a U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command spokesperson told Defense News. “Teaming unmanned aircraft with crewed fighters will greatly enhance a broad spectrum of capabilities to achieve air superiority.”
The MQ-20, designed for stealth, can transport smaller drones in addition to weapons using its internal storage, and it has unique engine features that make it hard detect with radar or infrared sensors. Its capabilities allow it to penetrate enemy air defense systems and drop 3,000 pounds of precision munitions, according to the manufacturer.
“General Atomics is in a pretty unique situation here, given that we already have operational uncrewed jets to use for experimentation,” C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman, told Defense News.
“The MQ-20 Avenger, tricked out with mature mission autonomy software, is a perfect CCA surrogate and allows us to move fast and move first,” he added, using the acronym for collaborative combat aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works led and organized the flight test with General Atomics and L3Harris. The test also demonstrated Lockheed Skunk Works’ flexible and hardware-agnostic pilot vehicle interface.
“This effort represents Skunk Works bringing its diverse and unique expertise to the table to lead the way demonstrating the future of air combat, where single-seat aircraft command and control drones with simple and intuitive interfaces in the cockpit,” OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, told Defense News.
As an unmanned partner, the MQ-20 is designed to lend additional covert strike capacity to the already clandestine F-22 Raptor - a supersonic, multipurpose stealth fighter that, according to the U.S. Air Force, “cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.”
“We don’t want to wait for the CCA fleet to be fielded to begin leaning in on F-22 teaming,” Brinkley said. “We already know the F-22 will play a critical role in crewed-uncrewed teaming operations, and General Atomics is in a unique position to get started now.”
During the test flight, the F-22 pilot controlled the Avenger drone from the cockpit using a tablet and platforms created by L3Harris, including two L3Harris Software‑Defined Radios and its BANSHEE Advanced Tactical Datalinks.
The BANSHEE system is designed for drone swarming operations and can control multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in a larger formation. It can also be used to control cruise missiles.
“We’ve been putting our own money into uncrewed jets for 17 years. This is just one more milestone in a long history of leaning forward,” Brinkley said.
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
