GA-ASI flies US Government autonomy software on MQ-20 Avenger

Image courtesy GA

The demonstration was part of the Air Force Test Center’s all-domain test series called Orange Flag 25-1, which took place 19th-21st February at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The demonstration included the use of a government-provided Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI), showcasing GA-ASI’s commitment to advancing its UCAV ecosystem through collaboration with partners and government entities and integrating advanced technologies. Avenger is a jet-powered UAS used extensively by GA-ASI as a test bed for future Autonomous Collaborative Platforms.

GA-ASI also demonstrated the ability to rapidly swap between autonomy systems midflight over Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellites utilising an autonomy product from Shield AI.

Orange Flag 25-1 is part of the larger Orange Flag Evaluation and Demonstration Event series. This event brought together various stakeholders to test and validate advanced aerospace technologies in realistic operational scenarios.

The government-provided autonomy software – known as a reference autonomy stack – was integrated into the GA-ASI Avenger and demonstrated autonomous flight operation capabilities focused on conducting air-to-air engagements. The government-provided PVI enabled seamless control and monitoring of the autonomy stack, highlighting the interoperability and flexibility of GA-ASI’s UCAV ecosystem. The Shield AI stack demonstrated autonomy skills for safe administrative phases of flight.

What the flights proved was that GA-ASI aircraft can quickly go from company-written software, to government-provided, to other vendors’ software as needed. This reinforces that the new generations of GA-ASI’s UCAVs can seamlessly get upgrades as fast as developers finish them. Just as a mobile phone can get new and better features with each update, so too can new UCAVs get more capable and more versatile.

GA-ASI Vice President of Advanced Programs Michael Atwood, said: "This demonstration marks a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to operationalise autonomy for UCAVs.

"Flying the government reference autonomy stack at Orange Flag 25-1 and utilising the government-provided PVI underscores our commitment to delivering robust and adaptable autonomy solutions for the warfighter. We especially appreciate and salute the support we received from the 309th Software Engineering Group."

The successful flight at Orange Flag 25-1 further validates GA-ASI’s dedication to maturing its open standards-based autonomy software ecosystem. By adhering to government-owned and maintained standards, GA-ASI ensures rapid integration of best-of-breed capabilities from third-party providers, enhancing the overall operational effectiveness of UCAV platforms.

GA-ASI continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing autonomy for UCAVs through a series of flight tests and collaborations with government and industry partners. These efforts are aimed at developing an autonomy infrastructure that enables rapid integration and validation of tactical software applications while maintaining safety of flight and providing warfighters with the most advanced capabilities possible. GA-ASI has been selected by the US Air Force to build and fly the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).