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A human controller flying in an L-39 Albatros jet ordered a pair of L-29 Delfin jets with artificial intelligence (AI) driven flight technology acting as surrogates for advanced drones to engage simulated enemy fighters in a series of recent flight tests.

Skunk Works Tests See AI-Enabled L-29 Jets Fly Mock Air-To-Air Mission On Orders From Aerial Controller

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Nov 23, 2024
A unit charged with exploring how the U.S. Air Force will utilize its future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) is now set to get actual examples of the first tranche of those drones to experiment with.

Extra Collaborative Combat Aircraft Purchases To Give USAF Test Unit A Boost

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Nov 19, 2024
The U.S. Navy recently used a drone control system now being installed on all its supercarriers to operate an actual uncrewed aircraft, a General Atomics Avenger, for the first time.

MQ-20 Avenger First Drone Flown Using Navy’s Carrier-Based Control System

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Nov 8, 2024
B-21 Taking On Some Of NGAD Fighter’s Missions On The Table Air Force Says

B-21 Taking On Some Of NGAD Fighter’s Missions On The Table Air Force Says

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Oct 26, 2024
German Navy P-8

German P-8s To Fly From U.K. To Help Counter Russian Submarine Threat

By Thomas Newdick
Posted on Oct 23, 2024
The U.S. Marine Corps says it has demonstrated new capabilities for operating future drones with high degrees of autonomy in expeditionary operations with another test flight of one of its stealthy XQ-58 Valkyries.

Third Marine XQ-58 Valkyrie Flight Test Uses Link 16 For Control

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 26, 2024
The U.S. Air Force is interested in adding an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar to its X-62A test jet. The radar is part of larger plans to acquire a new modular sensor suite for the uniquely modified F-16 specifically to help expand its ability to support advanced autonomy developments.

New Radar Sought To Help X-62A Test Jet Take Next Leap In Autonomy Testing

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 24, 2024
Collins Aerospace has put forward a vision for what a high-end air combat engagement between the U.S. and Chinese armed forces, with the American side employing crewed fighters and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone wingmen, could look like in the future.

What American Fighters And Their Drone Wingmen Fighting Chinese Jets Might Look Like

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 20, 2024
The U.S. Air Force says the once-secretive Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) drone program has been fully folded into the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort. General Atomics has already disclosed that its current CCA design is derived from the XQ-67 drone it developed for OBSS.

Collaborative Combat Aircraft Program “Ingesting” Modular Chassis Concept Pioneered By XQ-67 Drone

By Joseph Trevithick
Updated on Sep 20, 2024
Lockheed Martin's losing entry in the first increment of the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drone program was a very stealthy design, the head of the famed Skunk Works advanced projects division has disclosed. The company is now expecting future CCA increments to revolve around proposals that might lean closer to not just being lower-cost, but maybe even expendable, to support a concept of operations that requires tolerance for very high losses.

Skunk Works’ Losing Loyal Wingman Drone Was Very Stealthy “Gold Plated” Design

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 18, 2024
The U.S. Air Force's still evolving requirements for a next-generation aerial refueling 'system of systems' will directly impact the service's reassessment of plans for a new sixth-generation stealth 'fighter.' The Next-Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) effort will also inform work on a second tranche of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones.

Future Stealth Tanker Plans Tied To NGAD 6th Generation Fighter’s Fate

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 16, 2024
The U.S. Air Force is re-examining the very core of its requirements for a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its ongoing review of that element of the larger Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

Air Force “Starting At The Beginning” With NGAD 6th Gen Fighter Requirements Review

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 4, 2024
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded contracts to two companies for work on SHARK 'buddy store' podded aerial refueling systems able to work with aircraft that use the boom method to get gas in flight.

Aerial Refueling Boom Pods That Could Go On F-15s In The Works

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Sep 3, 2024
The War Zone delved into the digital engineer and advanced manufacturer techniques behind the stealthy Model 437 Vanguard aircraft, and more, an interview with Colin Miller, Vice President for Engineering within Northrop Grumman's aeronautics sector.

Everything We Just Learned About The Model 437 Vanguard Technology Demonstrator Jet

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Aug 30, 2024
The first known prototype of the Model 437 from Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites has flown.

Stealthy High-Tech Model 437 Vanguard Jet Has Flown For The First Time (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
Posted on Aug 29, 2024
Model 407 optionally manned drone Northrop grumman

Northrop’s Stealthy Loyal Wingman Drone Breaks Cover And It Has A Cockpit

By Tyler Rogoway
Updated on Aug 9, 2024