XQ-67A Drone’s First Flight: A Leap Forward for U.S. Air Force’s Future Combat Aircraft

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Air Force recently conducted the first flight of the General Atomics XQ-67A unmanned aerial system (UAS) at Gray Butte Field Airport in Palmdale, California. The flight, part of the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program, was captured in a 90-second video clip released by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

-The XQ-67A, a promising addition to the future fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), completed three flights to date and received an additional $9 million in funding for development. The drone, capable of both remote and autonomous flight, represents a new generation of autonomous collaborative platforms, following the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie.

-Designed for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and potentially offensive operations, the XQ-67A could operate alongside sixth-generation fighter jets under the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programs of the Air Force and Navy.

XQ-67A UAS: A Game-Changer for Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Earlier this year, the United States Air Force conducted the maiden flight of the General Atomics XQ-67A unmanned aerial system (UAS) at Gray Butte Field Airport in Palmdale, California. That flight came one year after the contractor was selected to build the vehicle under the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program. The first flight had been announced but no video footage was released until last week when the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) posted a 90-second video clip of the drone in flight.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been the air service's lead drone maker for the past three decades, and the flight was conducted to test the capabilities of the UAS, which could be part of the future fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). It was further announced that the defense contractor was awarded an additional $9 million in funding to continue the development of the XQ-67A.

"The AFRL OBSS program is the validation of a design, build, and test process that has resulted in the XQ-67A. It is the first of its kind to be built on a common chassis or genus ­ much like that of a motor vehicle frame ­ and with its first successful flight, the XQ-67A is proof that the genus approach works. This enables a faster and more cost-effective replication of the aircraft," AFRL announced on June 26.

The drone has reportedly completed three flights to date.

Unmanned and Autonomous

According to AFRL, the XQ-67A was remotely piloted during the flight earlier this year, but it is also capable of autonomous flight.

"Under AFRL's Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing, or LCAAPS, program, the lab’s Aerospace Systems Directorate explored development of a chassis or 'genus' as the foundational core architecture from which several “species” of aircraft can be built," the Air Force added.

The XQ-67A has been described as the first exemplar in a second generation of autonomous collaborative platforms. It follows the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the first low-cost uncrewed air vehicle intended to provide the warfighter with credible and affordable mass.

In addition to serving in an OBSS for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) gathering, the UAS could also be adapted for Off-Board Weapon Station (OBWS) for offensive operations, Interesting Engineering reported, adding, "This ingenious approach allows for greater flexibility and resource optimization while ensuring the rapid deployment of advanced capabilities."

Future Loyal Wingmen?

Both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy are currently developing CCA drones that could operate alongside their respective six-generation fighter jets­developed as part of the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programs. Each service has such a program in the works, the Air Force is seeking to develop a system that would include a manned air superiority fighter to replace the F-22 Raptor, while the Navy is working to develop its F/A-XX multirole carrier-based combat aircraft as the eventual replacement for the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Though the cost of each XQ-58A hasn't been disclosed, it likely would be considerably less expensive than manned combat aircraft, and its adaptability further suggests it would fit the bill for the low-cost unmanned aircraft that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin suggested last month was needed to operate alongside the Air Force's manned aircraft.

At the Air & Space Forces Association event on June 13, Allvin suggested the CCA needs to be low-cost, and certainly wouldn't be the type of platform that could see decades of service.

"'Built to last' is a tremendous 20th-century bumper sticker, but the assumption was: whatever you had was relevant as long as it lasted," Allvin explained. "I'm not sure that's relevant anymore. So that's why we aren't building in a sustainment structure. Ten years after this, I'm hoping the technology will make it so that CCA won't be as relevant, but it might be adaptable, and that's what we're building into modularity and adaptability."

The XQ-58A could be just what the Air Force needs in the coming years, and could easily evolve as those needs change.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.