Lockheed Martin’s advanced development arm Skunk Works and the U.S. Air Force have successfully tested technology that allows fighter pilots to control a drone while in flight.
During a recent flight out of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, an F-22 Raptor pilot used a pilot vehicle interface (PVI) in the cockpit to send control directions to an uncrewed aerial system (UAS), Lockheed said.
The pilot used the interface to “command the drone to execute a specific mission profile.”
Lockheed said it has invested heavily in autonomous and artificial intelligence-related technology for both crewed and uncrewed aircraft in recent years, with a particular focus on integrating autonomous drones with the F-22 and F-35.
The company did not specify how AI was used in the recent test at Nellis, if at all.
“This effort represents Skunk Works driving a breakthrough in air combat capability, where single-seat aircraft command and control drones with simple and intuitive interfaces in the cockpit,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, in a news release.
Skunk Works, which is known to have plants in California, Texas, and Georgia, carries out highly classified research for the military and works on new and in some cases exotic aircraft. Its engineers have played a role in the development of numerous Lockheed defense platforms, including the F-22 and F-35.
