Lockheed Martin’s classified projects unit, Skunk Works, works with industry partners and the US Air Force. unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control from an F-22 Raptor fighter jet while airborneannounced that it was carried out. This event is considered a critical turning point for the future of modern air combat.
F-22 Pilot Determined Mission Profile
The test flight, carried out from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, included an F-22 Raptor and a UAV. The pilot of the plane uses a special device in the cockpit. pilot-vehicle interfacesent control instructions to the UAV and ordered the UAV to perform a specific mission profile. This ESD-reported interface has been developed as a flexible system ready for integration for both current and future aerial platforms.
While the name of the UAV was not mentioned in the Lockheed Martin statement, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ announcement on November 17 stated that the controlled vehicle was MQ-20 Avenger UAVIt became clear that it was.
The Future of Autonomous Operations and the Skunk Works Vision
Lockheed Martin, this event human-machine collaboration capabilitiesand stated that the future of air combat is revealed from today onwards. The company has been focusing on autonomous and AI-supported operations in crewed and uncrewed systems for years, and in particular integration of autonomous drones with advanced warplanes such as F-22 and F-35aims.
Skunk Works General Manager OJ Sanchez said the following about the test flight:
βThis effort demonstrates Skunk Works’ breakthrough in air combat capability using command and control drones from single-seat aircraft with simple and intuitive interfaces in the cockpit.β
Strategic Advantage for the US Air Force
Human-machine collaboration will reflect the future combat air power of the US Air Force. ‘family of systems’will be a fundamental part of the approach. According to Lockheed Martin, this integration situational awareness, interoperability, survivability and flexibilityprovides a critical advantage for the US Air Force.
Integrating the F-22 with other advanced systems strengthens fighters’ capabilities and American air power dominanceIt constitutes an important step in ensuring
