The US Air Pressure has launched a video of the maiden flight of its XQ-67A demonstrator drone. Taken on February 28, 2024, the footage exhibits the autonomous plane strutting its stuff within the skies over Grey Butte Discipline Airport, Palmdale, California.
When the second- era XQ-67A took to the air final February, it marked a serious advance within the US Air Pressure’s program to automate a big fraction of its fleet. The craft is an Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) uncrewed air car, however in February the AFRL additionally revealed one other idea, the Off-Board Weapon Station (OBWS), that might share a typical chassis with the OBSS however be “sooner and extra maneuverable, with much less endurance however higher vary.”
The purpose of those ideas is not simply to assist develop Loyal Wingman drones able to working with piloted warplanes as an expendable reconnaissance and force-multiplier platform, however to take action utilizing automotive design and manufacturing methods. It will enable a single airframe to be the premise for an entire household of plane. Not solely that, however these will likely be drones that may go from design to flight in solely two years.
Based mostly on the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the XQ-67A is meant to work with the Air Pressure Check Heart’s X-62 VISTA and F-16 VENOM tasks to push ahead the event of autonomous plane techniques for each drones and pilot-optional plane. The top objective is to create a fleet of plane that can flip fighter pilots into government officers extra involved with finishing the mission moderately than working an plane or, within the case of the OBWS, even fight.
The February checks have been aimed not solely at verifying the flight techniques, but additionally the protection of the plane. The flights have been performed beneath distant management, although later ones will contain an more and more larger diploma of autonomy.
The maiden flight might be seen beneath.
X-67A Maiden
Supply: AFRL