Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, has been successfully tested in a flight test of an unmanned aircraft developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. for the United States Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. The test involved the operation of an unmanned aircraft in conjunction with manned fighter aircraft to provide extended sensor reach, increased weapon effectiveness, and overall mission benefits. During the flight test, the autonomy mode supported a four-hour autonomous mission with a human operator controlling the mission from the ground, thereby validating the integration of Sidekick with the aircraft’s mission systems and the accuracy of piloting commands.
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The milestone underscores growing confidence in open, interoperable autonomy architectures for future combat operations. “The rapid integration of Sidekick onto this platform to perform various combat-relevant tasks highlight the strength and adaptability of Collins’ open systems approach,” said Ryan Bunge. “The autonomy capabilities showcased in this flight highlight nearly a decade of dedicated investment and close collaboration with our customers to advance collaborative mission autonomy.” Designed for combat air missions, Sidekick enables intuitive collaboration between human teams and autonomous platforms, adapting to pilot workflows and mission requirements to support more effective, coordinated operations.