General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and BAE Systems are working together to build autonomous electronic warfare functions for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, GA-ASI announced today.
Through the partnership, BAE and GA-ASI remotely performed electronic attack capabilities in testing using an unmanned MQ-20 Avenger. That developmental aircraft has been used by GA-ASI to help create its concept for the Air Force’s CCA program and related autonomous mission systems research, according to the news release.
“This effort featured novel mission system capabilities and the viability of autonomous payload control on our MQ-20,” Mike Atwood, vice president of advanced programs at GA-ASI, said in a statement. “We’re identifying key areas for improvement, while sharing investment and reducing risk.”
BAE provided customized mission technology to GA-ASI, which included sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities, a multi-functional processor based on an open systems infrastructure and a Link 16 terminal needed to securely disseminate information, the news release stated.
Once integrated onto the Avenger, the electronic warfare system was able to identify and jam threats both autonomously and under control of a remote operator, GA-ASI added.
“We are working closely with General Atomics to highlight the maturity of autonomous EW mission systems in support of U.S. Air Force objectives,” Scott Bailie, director of advanced electronic warfare solutions at BAE Systems, said in a statement. “We are combining proven EW technology and secure command and control on a rapid timeline in a small form factor well-suited for CCAs.”
The demonstration, which was funded internally as part of an effort to validate the insertion of certain technology in autonomous flights, took place at GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon flight operations facility in El Mirage, CA, the company said.
GA-ASI and Anduril Industries were selected in April for continued funding to develop their CCA airframe designs, beating out industry bigwigs Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing in the contest. The service has said it may choose one or both options to produce the first autonomous fighters and that other businesses are also eligible to compete prototypes for this production award on their own dime, with a decision planned for calendar year 2026.
The first CCA increment will team with manned fighters in sustained combat, offering additional strike by carrying munitions like the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile and eventually taking on other capabilities to reduce pilot strain, Air Force officials said previously.
But future CCA increments will become more technologically complex and will be built to serve a myriad of mission sets, including electronic warfare, as the service’s industrial base grows or new capabilities are developed.
Part of the CCA program’s charm, according to the service, is that it is designed to foster continued competition throughout its lifecycle -- from selecting an airframe and autonomy architecture to a powerful engine and sophisticated mission systems.
While the Air Force is working with a myriad of companies, including BAE, on an ongoing basis to advance mission capabilities beyond any particular platform, it is also leaning on the CCA airframe providers to start collaborating with subcontractors on integrating required mission systems directly into the platform.
“So, there is both a direct relationship between the government and the mission system providers, but there is also a relationship when it comes to the platform of the prime, having the prime to set up a relationship with a mission system provider,” service acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said in September.
The prime-led mission system deal, such as the one GA-ASI and BAE alluded to today, is aimed at ensuring the platform aligns with the service’s capability requirements for that specific aircraft and to bypass historically delayed operational schedules.
“Quite often mission systems are the limiter for fielding capability,” Hunter added last month. “Much of that work underway is a continuous matter and in a continuously competitive cycle with industry.”