AFA 2025: Collins Aerospace's Sidekick CMA software brings collaboration to manned, unmanned platforms

The first GA-ASI YFQ-42A lifts off from a southern California airfield. Collins' Sidekick CMA is intended to enable autonomous collaboration between large numbers of unmanned platforms such as the YFQ-42A, and manned aircraft. (GA-ASI)

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, announced its Sidekick collaborative mission autonomy (CMA) product during a media briefing on 15 September ahead of the Air & Space Forces Association's (AFA's) Air, Space & Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The standalone software system can support multiple aircraft types and hardware solutions to enable co-ordinated, intelligent decision making across various manned and unmanned platforms, according to the company.

Combat collaboration

The Sidekick is designed to meet the needs of future conflict in the air domain, Ryan Bunge, vice-president and general manager for C4I and autonomy for Collins Aerospace, told journalists during the briefing. “To maintain that air superiority and defend against advanced threats, pilots will need … increased combat mass, both in terms of platforms and weapons,” improved sensing, and greater range, which will require “autonomous combat platforms driven by advanced autonomy software that adapts to their needs, instantly adjusting to new mission demands and offering new solutions that will remain resilient in combat conditions”, he said.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy solutions can improve the effectiveness of manned and unmanned platforms, Bunge added. He said the “future battlespace will rely on self-organising teams of unmanned and manned aircraft equipped with this AI-driven capability that seamlessly integrates into a consolidated mission package”.