F-22 Stealth Fighter Controls MQ-20 Avenger Drone from Cockpit
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems demonstrated the ability of the F-22 Raptor to control an MQ-20 Avenger drone from its cockpit, a capability that the US Air Force expects will be key to its future forces. The demo, which was part of a company-funded demonstration, leveraged Lockheed Martin’s open radio architectures and L3Harris-supplied datalinks and software-defined radios. The F-22 and MQ-20 were controlled using a tablet and a new software government reference architecture, respectively. This follows recent revelations that the F-22 will serve as the ’threshold platform’ for drone integration, and that the US Air Force is seeking to integrate drones with manned aircraft in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.