The Spanish consortium SATNUS has completed the fourth flight demonstration campaign for Pillar 3 of the Next Generation Weapon System/Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS) program at INTA-CEDEA facilities. The effort verified the Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUT) software, led by SATNUS in collaboration with Airbus GmbH and MBDA, and integrated into the Next Generation Autonomy Computer (NGAC).
Nine flights were conducted during the third and fourth weeks of March, using real and simulated Manned-Unmanned Teaming & Common Systems Demonstrator (MCSD) platforms, based on modified aerial targets. Demonstrations included formation flying, evasive maneuvers, collaborative navigation in denied environments, mission replanning, formation breakup, and visual detection for relative distance calculation, with up to three real Remote Carriers airborne alongside two simulated ones.
Prior campaigns, including the third, validated the NGAC for autonomous operations. These tests confirmed end-to-end functionality of onboard and ground-based systems for multi-platform missions involving multiple MCSD units in solo and coordinated flights.