San Diego’s General Atomics reported a successful first flight of its XQ-67A drone under an Air Force program to develop “robotic wingmen” to accompany crewed aircraft into battle.
The stealthy-looking, jet-powered craft flew for the first time on Wednesday at a General Atomics facility in the Mojave Desert near Palmdale.
Five aerospace companies are vying for an Air Force contract to build a fleet of the drones, which are “intended to provide the warfighter with credible and affordable mass” in battle.
The program is highly classified, and few details were released by the Air Force or General Atomics.
However, military observers say the plan is to develop a fleet of drones with a sophisticated suite of sensors that can fly ahead of manned fighter jets and relay back targeting data and other information.