Basic Atomics Aeronautical Programs, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been chosen to construct manufacturing consultant flight take a look at articles of the Collaborative Fight Plane (CCA) for the U.S. Air Power Life Cycle Administration Middle’s (AFLCMC) Superior Plane Division. This selection contract award by the Superior Plane Division workouts the vital design, construct, and flight take a look at on the present CCA contract with GA-ASI following an preliminary 6-month part that culminated in a profitable CCA preliminary design assessment (PDR) earlier this 12 months.
The CCA program goals to be a power multiplier, growing a low-cost, modular, unmanned plane geared up with superior sensors or weapons and working in collaborative groups with the subsequent technology of manned fight plane.
In February 2024, GA-ASI efficiently performed the maiden flight of the XQ-67A CCA protype plane validating the “genus/species” idea pioneered by the Air Power Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) as a part of the Low-Price Attritable Plane Platform Sharing (LCAAPS) program. This program centered on constructing a number of plane variants from a typical core chassis. Since then, this prototype for CCA has efficiently accomplished two extra take a look at flights, laying the groundwork for a profitable manufacturing and flight take a look at program. GA-ASI’s CCA manufacturing consultant design is predicated upon the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station developed by GA-ASI for the AFRL.
“The CCA program redefines the way forward for aviation and can form the USAF acquisition mannequin to ship reasonably priced fight mass to the warfighter on the velocity of relevancy,” stated Mike Atwood, Vice President of Superior Applications for GA-ASI.
“All through our 30-year historical past, GA-ASI has been on the forefront of quickly advancing unmanned plane methods that assist our warfighters,” stated GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “The USAF is transferring ahead with GA-ASI because of our centered dedication to unmanned air-to-air fight operations and unmatched UAS expertise, making certain the manufacturing of the CCA plane at scale to ship reasonably priced fight mass for the warfighter.”
To enhance the CCA contract, GA-ASI will proceed to conduct a sequence of autonomy and mission system checks on the MQ-20 Avenger® UAS and XQ-67A to speed up the readiness of operational autonomy. These dwell flight checks will proceed to exhibit the readiness of the complete mission functionality to assist the rising U.S. Air Power Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP).
