The key facts

  • An F-22 and the YFQ-44A Fury took off from Edwards Air Force Base and met in the air; the pilot transmitted an updated mission plan and commands to the drone over a tactical data link.
  • The pilot acted as an airborne commander without manually controlling the drone: the onboard program independently interpreted general directives.
  • In the future, one F-22 is to coordinate multiple CCAs; one Fury participated in the current demonstration. Details of additional equipment on the F-22 were not disclosed.

Demonstration of Drone Control from an F-22 Cockpit

The US Air Force and Anduril, the company developing the Fury aircraft, reported a demonstration of in-flight tactical control. The test took place under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, aimed at creating combat drones that operate alongside crewed aviation. An F-22 and the YFQ-44A Fury took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and met in the air. During the flight, the fighter pilot sent the drone an updated mission plan over a tactical data link and issued commands to perform maneuvers.

The Pilot's Role and the Drone's Autonomy

According to a US Air Force comment, the pilot in the test performed the functions of an airborne commander. He did not manually control each movement of the Fury: the drone's onboard program independently interpreted and executed general tactical directives. The demonstration included practicing maneuvers and simulated combat tasks.

Participants and Preparation for Employment

The test involved several military test units, software engineers, the F-22 program office, as well as specialists responsible for autonomous control and CCA interoperability. An operational test unit based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada is coordinating preparations for the future employment of CCA drones within the US Air Force.

Equipment and Future Plans

The military and Anduril did not disclose what additional equipment was installed on the F-22 that took part in the test. Previous budget documents mentioned the need to integrate tablets, cables, and corresponding components on the fighter. In the future, one F-22 is to simultaneously coordinate the actions of several CCA aircraft; one Fury participated in the current demonstration. A control option using tablet-like touchscreen devices is being considered, but concerns have been raised that additional screens and tasks could increase pilot workload, especially in a single-seat fighter.