GA-ASI, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris team for crewed-uncrewed connectivity flight test

GA-ASI, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris tested connectivity between an MQ-20 Avenger (pictured), and an F-22 fighter. (USAF Test Center)

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI), Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Technologies conducted a joint flight test of a manned F-22 Raptor and unmanned GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger jet to demonstrate the potential viability of a crewed-uncrewed joint team.

The test, conducted at Nevada Test and Training Range on 21 October, was designed to assess connectivity between a crewed jet, uncrewed jet, and ground station, according to a GA-ASI statement.

OJ Sanchez, vice-president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, told Janes in an emailed statement, “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.”

The test is a component of Lockheed Martin's Project Carrera, the company's USD100 million investment in teaming technologies between crewed and uncrewed aircraft first announced in September 2022.

Braxton Rehm, principal, USAF Advanced Program Requirements at L3Harris Technologies, told Janes the experiment was the “next step” in development for connecting manned fighters in collaboration with unmanned aircraft, a key component of future force structure within the US Air Force (USAF).

“The objectives were to connect those three nodes in the mesh network to where it was seamless to the pilot in the F-22, without operator interactions on the MQ-20 side and the ground side,” Rehm told Janes. “ By achieving that mesh network, the further goal was to push the digital commands from the F-22 to the MQ-20 and command and control what the MQ-20 was doing from the F-22.”