SAN DIEGO - General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) in San Diego and the U.S. Air Force conducted an autonomy flight exercise that demonstrated developments in the operation of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), including the use of infrared sensing and passive targeting techniques.
The 24 February demonstration featured the government-developed Autonomy Starter Kit (ASK) integrated aboard a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger uncrewed jet, which served as a surrogate CCA testbed. The exercise demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to use a proliferated low-Earth orbit datalink to coordinate autonomy behaviors while performing infrared sensing during a large force exercise.
IR eyes
The MQ-20 performed infrared sensing with single-ship ranging (SSR) and mission execution using GA-ASI’s TacPad Pilot Vehicle Interface. GA-ASI’s TacACE, or Tactical Autonomy Ecosystem, which is designed to align with the ASK framework, demonstrated passive target localization using SSR with an infrared search and track sensor. This approach enabled the uncrewed aircraft to estimate target range and track airborne threats without relying on active radar emissions.
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The capability supports passive detection and tracking, allowing the aircraft to detect, classify, and localize targets while minimizing electromagnetic emissions, which is important for operations in denied or contested electromagnetic environments. The demonstration also highlighted how autonomy software can support coordinated mission execution and targeting across distributed aircraft.
"Integrated within the TacACE’s modular skills library, SSR supports autonomous mission execution, cooperative targeting, and distributed kill chains, advancing the role of autonomous aircraft in future air combat and CCA operations. This flight was part of a large forces exercise and allowed internal investment to showcase GA-ASI’s capabilities," said Mike Atwood, Vice President of Advanced Programs for GA-ASI.
GA-ASI’s MQ-20 Avenger uncrewed jet has served as a surrogate CCA platform for more than five years, supporting autonomy development efforts prior to and alongside newer purpose-built systems such as the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station and the YFQ-42A CCA aircraft.
