The U.S. Air Force has demonstrated airborne tactical control of an Anduril YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft by an F-22A Raptor pilot for the first time. Conducted from Edwards Air Force Base, California, during the week of 5 October, the multi-hour test paired one F-22 with one Fury and examined how a crewed fighter can direct an autonomous aircraft during simulated combat operations.
The F-22 pilot acted as an airborne tactical commander, transmitting high-level directives and an updated mission plan to the Fury through a tactical data link. The pilot did not manually fly the uncrewed aircraft. Instead, the YFQ-44A’s onboard autonomy software interpreted the instructions and executed dynamic flight manoeuvres and simulated combat tasks in real time.
The demonstration involved personnel from the 412th Test Wing, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 309th Software Engineering Group, Experimental Operations Unit, F-22 System Program Office and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft software autonomy and teaming branch. Earlier formation tests involving crewed aircraft and CCAs did not demonstrate direct in-flight tactical control from the crewed fighter.
Data from the test will support further software integration, developmental testing and refinement of future CCA operating concepts. The Air Force is developing a model in which a single fighter pilot directs multiple autonomous aircraft, increasing the number of platforms a crewed formation can employ without requiring the pilot to control each aircraft individually. The demonstration used simulated tasks and did not involve live weapons employment or an operational deployment.