USN uses MQ-20 in autonomous mission planning work

Effort shows how mission plans can be employed by autonomous aircraft.
The US Navy and General Atomics recently conducted work to demonstrate autonomous mission planning using the MQ-20 Avenger uncrewed aircraft.

The initiative took place in September and was part of the annual Gray Flag 2026 exercise. It explored how a mission can be translated into information that can be understood and used by an autonomous aircraft, says the USN.

Working with the MQ-20, the USN’s Strike Planning & Execution Systems (PMX-281) team developed a mission and sent it to the aircraft, which then executed it. The USN dubs the practice CAMP – Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning.

“CAMP is about making autonomy more usable by integrating into mission environments with both manned and unmanned platforms,” says PMX-281 programme manager Captain Todd Keith.

“This demonstration showed how we can connect the way operators plan missions today in the [Collaborative Mission Planning Continuum] with the way autonomous aircraft will execute those missions. That can reduce the burden on our operators, improve interoperability and help bring collaborative autonomy closer to operational use.”

Collaborative Mission Planning Continuum, or CMPC, is a USN programme to replace the legacy Joint Mission Planning system.

Ultimately, the CAMP effort should smooth the integration of autonomous aircraft into future operations.

In a separate statement about the work, General Atomics says that the MQ-20 effort showed how mission autonomy software works across the kill chain using passive sensors, autonomy, and coordinated operations between various participants.

“Although demonstrated using an autonomous aircraft, the underlying capability is mission planning, translating the broader force-level plan into executable roles, tasks, timing, authorities and constraints for individual mission participants,” adds the USN.

“As aircraft, weapons and other effectors become increasingly networked and autonomous, this digital connection between mission planning and execution will be increasingly important to effectively employing the munitions portfolio.”

The MQ-20 has seen extensive use as an autonomy test bed, including teaming with a US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22, as well as simulated air-to-air engagements.

The post USN uses MQ-20 in autonomous mission planning work first appeared on FlightGlobal.

Source: www.flightglobal.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.