The U.S. Air Force and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) recently carried out another manned-unmanned teaming flight at Edwards Air Force Base.
The live-flight exercise showcased a human-piloted F-22 sending real-time commands to the MQ-20 using advanced autonomy software and a tactical data link. During the test, the F-22 pilot directed the MQ-20 to perform maneuvers, adjust waypoints, conduct combat patrols, and carry out “threat engagement tasks,” (GA-ASI) said in a statement.
GA-ASI’s latest mission #autonomy demo features live engagement between an MQ-20 Avenger® #UCAV and piloted F-22 as the command aircraft, showcasing manned-unmanned teaming.
Read the news: https://t.co/EU7jOcVlvi#MUMT #AvengerUAS pic.twitter.com/tbVTBM3kGG
— General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) (@GenAtomics_ASI) February 23, 2026
“We appreciate the flawless execution of this mission using the government’s advanced autonomous systems,” GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said. “This demo featured the integration of mission elements and the ability of autonomy to utilize onboard sensors to make independent decisions and execute commands from the F-22.”
The flight followed a November demonstration in which an F-22 pilot used a tablet to control an MQ-20 via L3Harris datalinks and software radios leveraging Lockheed Martin’s open radio architectures.
GA-ASI, Anduril, and Northrop Grumman are all competing to develop the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
Earlier this month, the service reported using the government-owned Autonomy Government Reference Architecture to integrate RTX Collins software on General Atomics’ YFQ-42 CCA and Shield AI technology on Anduril’s YFQ-44 CCA.
