Advanced air-to-air autonomy to be prototyped on MQ-20 drones
NewsAugust 01, 2024
SAN DIEGO, California. Advanced autonomous air-to-air capabilities will be prototyped on the MQ-20 Avenger uncrewed aerial system (UAS) as part of Project Red 5, a U.S. Department of Defense initiative, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced in a statement.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) Project, managed by the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), selected GA-ASI as the Lead Systems Integrator for the project under a $98 million contract, the statement reads. The company will operate two of its MQ-20 Avenger UASs and develop mission autonomy software to support air-to-air missions, the company says.
This project aims to enhance training for fourth and fifth-generation fighter aircraft by using autonomous systems to simulate adversary air operations. GA-ASI will incorporate sensors, data links, and mission systems to create realistic "red air" scenarios, the statement adds.
