Air Force Flies XQ-67A With Mission Systems and Long-Range Links as CCA Autonomy Contest Runs
The Demon APE flight tests the power, cooling and datalink layer the Air Force's uncrewed wingmen will need, while three firms compete for CCA autonomy software due to be chosen by summer 2027.
The Demon APE flight tests the power, cooling and datalink layer the Air Force's uncrewed wingmen will need, while three firms compete for CCA autonomy software due to be chosen by summer 2027.
The Air Force Research Laboratory announced Oct. 27 that it and Air Combat Command's Experimental Operations Unit flew the XQ-67A Autonomous Collaborative Platform over the Nevada Test and Training Range. The sortie ran under the Demonstration of ACP Performance and Effectiveness project, known as Demon APE. AFRL did not give the flight date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the XQ-67A?
A jet-powered uncrewed aircraft General Atomics Aeronautical Systems built under AFRL's Off-Board Sensing Station program. It first flew on Feb. 28, 2024, and GA-ASI has said its Collaborative Combat Aircraft design is based on it.
What is Demon APE?
The Demonstration of Autonomous Collaborative Platform Performance and Effectiveness project, run by the Air Force Research Laboratory with Air Combat Command's Experimental Operations Unit. It tests how multiple aircraft share information and coordinate missions.
What did this flight test?
Integrated sensors, mission computers and power and thermal management hardware, plus beyond-line-of-sight datalinks combined with live, virtual and constructive simulation, according to AFRL. AFRL did not publish range, frequency or jamming results.
Why do beyond-line-of-sight links matter for CCA?
The Air Force wants Increment 1 aircraft to reach a combat radius of at least 700 nautical miles, Defense War Room reported. At that distance uncrewed wingmen fly beyond the coverage of ground stations.
Who is competing for the CCA autonomy software?
Anduril, Collins Aerospace and Shield AI, according to Defense War Room, which puts the primary Increment 1 mission-autonomy selection by summer 2027.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.