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F-22 Raptor, MQ-20 Drone Complete Manned-Unmanned Flight Exercise
The demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base showed an F-22 pilot commanding an MQ-20 Avenger drone using autonomy software, advancing manned-unmanned teaming for tactical fighter operations.
- On Feb. 23, the U.S. Air Force and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said they completed a manned‑unmanned demonstration linking an F-22 Raptor with an MQ-20 Avenger using autonomy software and a tactical data link.
- On Feb. 12, the U.S. Air Force validated the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture across vendors, supporting the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program and General Atomics' accelerated timeline.
- Executing waypoint navigation and combat air patrol patterns, the MQ-20 Avenger used GA-ASI’s Autonodyne Bashi Pilot Vehicle Interface with onboard sensors to exchange tactical messages in a continuous command loop.
- John Macera, General Atomics, said the demonstration showed how Collaborative Combat Aircraft could increase combat power for human pilots, while the U.S. Air Force views CCAs as attritable force multipliers, not replacements for crewed jets.
- Following the November 2025 test, ongoing trials will guide choices among YFQ-42, YFQ-44 and YFQ-48A as CCAs develop for autonomous strike and long-duration sorties.
14 Articles
14 Articles
A US Air Force F-22 Raptor just showed off how it might work with a loyal wingman-type drone in a future air war
The F-22 Raptor is the first Air Force aircraft that will be linked with CCAs.US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tabatha ArellanoGeneral Atomics ran an autonomy test with a testbed drone and a US Air Force F-22 Raptor.The F-22 pilot commanded the MQ-20, a stand-in for a future Collaborative Combat Aircraft.CCAs are loyal wingmen that can do certain tasks alongside pilots or go on missions autonomously.A crewed US Air Force fighter and an uncrewed …
US Air Force tests F-22 control of MQ-20 drone
The US Air Force has conducted a live demonstration of manned-unmanned teaming, linking a crewed F-22 Raptor with an uncrewed MQ-20 Avenger in a flight test designed to explore how autonomous aircraft can support frontline fighters in future operations. The exercise took place on February 23, 2026, at Edwards Air Force Base in California, pairing an F-22 flown by a USAF pilot with an MQ-20 operating as an autonomous system rather than as a remo…
An F-22 pilot has ordered an autonomous MQ-20-Avenger drone in flight to perform various tactical tasks and to ward off air threats.
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