The software and hardware that will control tomorrow's combat drones got a workout on January 18, as a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger showed off its capability by autonomously intercepting a crewed aggressor aircraft in an air combat exercise.
The world's air forces and navies are betting heavily on combat drones in the near future. The tricky bit is getting them to actually work. The airframes are relatively far along because drones have been flying by remote control ever since some clever clock decided to install radios in planes, but what's needed today are the sensor kits and software that will allow a robotic drone to engage hostile aircraft with minimal human oversight.
As part of the development effort, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been using the MQ-20 Avenger as a testbed for sensors and software in dynamic air-to-air combat scenarios. This choice is based on the MQ-20 being a high-speed, multi-mission unmanned aircraft system (UAS) capable of operating in high-threat environments thanks to a stealthy airframe and a S-shaped exhaust that minimizes its radar and heat signatures.
In the latest exercise, the MQ-20 was used as a surrogate for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) and was required to intercept and engage with a human-piloted aircraft, the type of which has not been released. If early tests are a guide, it was similar to an F-5 Tiger II.
During the exercise, the MQ-20 used a live Anduril Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor. Unlike radar, this allowed the drone to detect and track the heat signature of the aggressor without revealing its position as would be the case with radar. It then used its onboard computers to generate a track file for the target aircraft, predict its course, and calculate an intercept solution. It then calculated a firing solution and took a simulated weapon shot. Telemetry data confirmed that the result was a "kill."
One important aspect of the combat exercise was how the MQ-20 behaved. Despite the combat situation, the drone followed the rules of the road for flying in an integrated airspace. It also followed its programming that made it remain within its Keep-In Zone (KIZ) while avoiding its Keep-Out Zones (KOZ). This meant that the MQ-20 could fly aggressively without the danger of wandering into restricted civilian airspace or high-threat corridors.
One final aspect is that the MQ-20 could execute standard instrument flying where it kept its heading, speed, and altitude as it avoided the terrain, plus it switched between flight autonomy and mission autonomy without a glitch.
"This demonstration reinforces our commitment to advancing Human-Machine Teaming and highlights the growing sophistication of autonomous systems in using sensor data to make independent decisions," said Michael Atwood, Vice President of Advanced Programs at General Atomics. "The ability of autonomy to close on a target using its own logic is a vital step toward building a reliable ecosystem of collaborative combat aircraft for the modern warfighter."
Source: General Atomics
