Nichols Martin
General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems business demonstrated autonomous searching and tracking operations with the company’s MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aircraft system.
An Avenger unit owned by General Atomics worked with five hardware-in-the-loop synthetic Avengers and a network of sensors to tail a simulated threat, the company said Friday.
The Avenger UAS flew for two hours on Jan. 28 and pursued the target with the help of a simulated Infrared Search and Track sensor network and a government-furnished CODE autonomy engine.
The Avenger aircraft and its simulated team used an artificial intelligence algorithm to determine which adversary would exhibit closed-loop, air-to-air tactics through complex behaviors.
“The flight demonstrated GA-ASI’s unique ability to deploy autonomy using a blend of simulated threats, real-world sensors and live aircraft,” said Michael Atwood, senior director of advanced programs at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
Atwood said the company’s autonomy pipeline offers digital environments, UAS digital twins and machine learning technology to verify completion of complex kill chains.
