General Atomics Demos Autonomous Drone Flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) recently conducted a demonstration of an MQ-20 Avenger drone in flight sequentially controlled by a pair of autonomy softwares.
The initial flight was controlled by the US government-provided reference autonomy stack software, with the focus on air-to-air engagements.
To enable seamless control and monitoring of the software, a government-provided Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) was used.
“This demonstration marks a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to operationalize autonomy for UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle),” GA-ASI vice president of Advanced Programs Michael Atwood said.
“Flying the government reference autonomy stack at Orange Flag 25-1 and utilizing the government-provided PVI underscores our commitment to delivering robust and adaptable autonomy solutions for the warfighter.”
Mid-Flight Software Swapping
Mid-flight, the reference autonomy stack software passed aircraft control to Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software.
Leveraging the PVI, Hivemind steered the aircraft for the rest of the flight.
The PVI is designed to enhance interoperability across autonomous military platforms.
“Future work will build on this foundation, including updates to achieve full A-GRA (Autonomy Government Reference Architecture) compliance and further strengthen cross-platform autonomy,” according to San Diego-based Shield AI.
Future Implications
The aircraft’s in-flight reconfiguration from one software to another foretells rapid software upgrades and enhanced interoperability for future unmanned autonomous aircraft.
The MQ-20 is a jet-powered drone used as a test bed for future autonomous collaborative platforms.
“This flight showcased how advanced autonomous systems can seamlessly operate on open-architecture platforms without vendor lock, ensuring warfighters have access to the best mission autonomy solutions available,” GA-ASI’s VP of Advanced Programs Mike Atwood said.
“We partnered with Shield AI to bring proven autonomy expertise and a shared commitment to delivering cutting-edge capabilities for the warfighter.
GA-ASI is building an open platform that supports these kinds of industry collaborations, which is key to accelerating the future of autonomous aviation and ensuring mission-ready autonomy solutions.”
Hivemind
The Hivemind AI-powered software enables unmanned systems to execute complex tasks without the need for remote operators or GPS.
It continues to work in “disrupted, disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth environments, ensuring adaptive, resilient, and coordinated operations across diverse platforms,” according to Shield AI.
The demonstration was part of the Air Force Test Center’s Orange Flag 25-1 all-domain test series, which took place at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
It was the first in a series of planned autonomy flights by Shield AI and GA-ASI in 2025.
