General Atomics claims fully autonomous AI-piloted flight with Avenger MQ-20A
Avenger MQ-20A, formerly known as Predator C. (Photo: USN)
General Atomics claims that the latest Avenger MQ-20A test flight demonstrated capabilities in the race to operationalise autonomy for collaborative combat aircraft.
A company-owned Avenger MQ-20A UAS was used on 12 September by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to fly a military aircraft with an AI pilot and operationally relevant mission systems software.
The company revealed on 19 September that the ‘completely autonomous flight’ with the AI pilot lasted for about 30 minutes as part of a ‘cooperating live, virtual, and constructive UAS swarm’.
General Atomics employed its Reinforcement Learning (RL) architecture to develop and validate an RL agent in an operationally relevant environment — specifically, enabling ‘chase and avoid’ behaviour in which real-time updates were made to the flight path in order to avoid adversaries using live fused tracks.
The live tracks were provided to the system using a TacIRST embeddable infrared search and track sensor system supplied by Lockheed Martin.
General Dynamics Mission Systems supplied the mission computer for the flight, which is part of a series by General Atomics to demonstrate AI and machine learning concepts for advanced UAS.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Norway receives final F-35 aircraft and unveils first Joint Strike Missile delivery]()
Norway receives final F-35 aircraft and unveils first Joint Strike Missile delivery
Work has begun on stockpiling the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), following the first missile’s delivery from Kongsberg and the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
-
![US Air Force has big plans for the F-47]()
US Air Force has big plans for the F-47
The USAF Chief of Staff has claimed that the sixth-generation fighter would allow for guaranteeing “air superiority for generations to come”.
-
![India and France seal Rafale-M deal as plans for local assembly advance]()
India and France seal Rafale-M deal as plans for local assembly advance
Inter-governmental agreement signed as final assembly line plans inch closer.
-
![Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed]()
Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed
New Delhi had been gearing up to sign a Navy Rafale deal as talks swirled around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
