General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has carried out a mission autonomy test flight with its MQ-20 Avenger drone, employing the latest government reference autonomy software.
The Avenger demonstrated independent decision-making using onboard sensors, executing complex tasks without human intervention.
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The recent demonstration began with mission planning through the Human-Machine Interface, after which operators loaded the plan onto the MQ-20 Avenger.
Once airborne, personnel verified the transfer between mission autonomy and flight autonomy systems, confirming that both systems could adapt to evolving mission requirements.
Throughout the flight, the MQ-20 maintained compliance with operator-assigned Keep-Out Zones and Keep-In Zones, staying within designated areas and avoiding restricted airspace as required.
During the demonstration, MQ-20’s use of a live Infrared Search and Track (IRST) sensor from Anduril enabled it to passively range a live target aircraft in flight.
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By GlobalDataWith data gathered from this sensor, the autonomy system independently established a track on the target, calculated an intercept solution, and simulated firing a weapon at the target.
The simulation indicated that if the shot had been real, it would have resulted in destruction of the target.
Further elements of the test included directing the MQ-20 along a predetermined path to a standard instrument hold, where it orbited before resuming its route, and following routes set by heading, speed, and altitude instructions.
The drone successfully avoided all keep-out zones during these manoeuvres.
GA-ASI’s Avenger jet has functioned as a stand-in for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for over five years, predating and continuing after the introduction of GA-ASI’s XQ-67A and YFQ-42A models.
In 2023, GA-ASI formed a partnership with Divergent Technologies to enhance additive manufacturing and implement fully digital production processes for its platforms.
In 2024, GA-ASI worked with US Air Force Special Operations Command to integrate Anduril’s Altius 600 loitering munition and collaborated with Dillon Aero for a live-fire test involving DAP-6 gun pods on the Mojave STOL aircraft.
In 2025, GA-ASI partnered with Shield AI for two Avenger flight demonstrations using Hivemind mission autonomy software.
In November last year, GA-ASI completed a crewed-uncrewed teaming trial alongside Lockheed Martin and L3Harris Technologies.
