Edwards Air Force BaseAn F-22 pilot sent a drone new orders mid-flight.
The US Air Force plans at least 500 collaborative combat aircraft by 2032.
The pilot sent an updated mission plan over a tactical data link, and the drone’s onboard autonomy flew the maneuvers.
Neither the Air Force nor Anduril said how the F-22 was configured for the test.
The first drones enter operational service around the end of the decade.
How each outlet framed it
- The War Zone
- reports the first airborne tactical-control test, a pilot in an F-22 commanding a pre-production YFQ-44A, and places it in the 500-CCA-by-2032 goal
Sources: The War Zone