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General Atomics XQ-67A

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XQ-67A
XQ-67A first flight
Role Unmanned combat aerial vehicle, loyal wingman
Manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
First flight 28 February 2024
Status Under development
Primary user United States Air Force

The General Atomics XQ-67A is a developmental unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for the United States Air Force Off-Board Sensing Station program and as a prototype for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) program.[1][2]

Design and development

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In February 2023 the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced that GA-ASI had been selected to build and test a UAV for the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program, intended to fly ahead of and pass data back to manned aircraft. The prototype was publicly unveiled by GA-ASI on 8 February 2024. It is unclear whether or not the XQ-67A is capable of carrying weapons.[3]

The XQ-67A had its first flight on 28 February 2024 from GA-ASI's Grey Butte Flight Operations Facility near Palmdale, California. The AFRL stated that "the XQ-67A is the first of a second generation of autonomous collaborative platforms. Following the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the first low-cost uncrewed air vehicle intended to provide the warfighter with credible and affordable mass, the XQ-67A proves the common chassis or genus approach to aircraft design, build and test... This approach paves the way for other aircraft "species" to be rapidly replicated on a standard genus chassis...The genus can be built upon for other aircraft — similar to that of a vehicle frame — with the possibility of adding different aircraft kits to the frame, such as an Off-Board Sensing Station or Off-Board Weapon Station."[4]

On 24 April 2024, upon being awarded for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) Increment I, GA-ASI announced that the XQ-67A was a prototype for the CCA program and that the official entry for the CCA would be based on the XQ-67A and feature a common core system. It is speculated that the XQ-67A is representative of "Gambit 1", the first iteration of the previously revealed General Atomics Gambit family. However, GA-ASI has made no specific connection between the XQ-67A, the CCA program, and Gambit.[2][1]

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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  1. ^ a b "GA-ASI Selected to Build CCA for AFLCMC". General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Trevithick, Joseph (24 April 2024). "XQ-67 Confirmed To Be A Prototype For General Atomics' Collaborative Combat Aircraft Design". The Warzone. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ "General Atomics unveils XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station UAV". Janes. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  4. ^ "AFRL's XQ-67A makes 1st successful flight". Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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