Kacey Roberts
General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems division and the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command have showcased various capabilities in a concept development initiative aimed at enabling AFSOC to project air power using unmanned systems from beyond the horizon.
The Adaptive Airborne Enterprise demonstrations involved proving the viability of the AFSOC RPA Control Suite in managing the MQ-9A drone for future integration efforts to incorporate the MQ-9B platform into the ARCS, General Atomics said Monday.
The initial demonstration highlighted the simultaneous control of three MQ-9A remotely piloted aircraft by a single crew using ARCS.
Moreover, the event included employing the MQ-9A as a substitute for small UAS. This displayed the drone’s ability to deploy an Altius 600 from a launch pod.
GA-ASI and AFSOC conducted the A2E demos at the Cannon AF Base and Melrose AF Range in New Mexico.
