Common Atomics Aeronautical Techniques, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been chosen to construct manufacturing consultant flight check articles of the Collaborative Fight Plane (CCA) for the U.S. Air Drive Life Cycle Administration Heart’s (AFLCMC) Superior Plane Division. This feature contract award by the Superior Plane Division workouts the essential design, construct, and flight check on the prevailing 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 following technology of manned fight plane.
In February 2024, GA-ASI efficiently carried out the maiden flight of the XQ-67A CCA protype plane validating the “genus/species” idea pioneered by the Air Drive Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) as a part of the Low-Value Attritable Plane Platform Sharing (LCAAPS) program. This program centered on constructing a number of plane variants from a standard core chassis. Since then, this prototype for CCA has efficiently accomplished two extra check flights, laying the groundwork for a profitable manufacturing and flight check 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 pace of relevancy,” mentioned 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 help our warfighters,” mentioned GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “The USAF is transferring ahead with GA-ASI resulting from our centered dedication to unmanned air-to-air fight operations and unmatched UAS expertise, guaranteeing 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 exams on the MQ-20 Avenger® UAS and XQ-67A to speed up the readiness of operational autonomy. These stay flight exams will proceed to show the readiness of the complete mission functionality to help the rising U.S. Air Drive Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP).