NEVADA, — Two Anduril FQ-44A Fury uncrewed aircraft have successfully flown in formation and performed coordinated air-to-air combat maneuvers using artificial intelligence software. The demonstration marks a new milestone in the U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
The test took place on October 26 at the Nevada Test and Training Range and was announced by Shield AI on November 9. Both drones used the company's Hivemind mission autonomy software to coordinate their movements and practice beyond-visual-range (BVR) tactics against a virtual airborne threat. A ground operator provided high-level instructions, while the software handled the tactical maneuvers.
Earlier Test with an F-22 Fighter
The demonstration followed an earlier test on October 8 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During that flight, an airborne F-22 pilot acted as an "airborne quarterback", giving instructions to a single FQ-44A Fury. Hivemind translated the commands into real-time flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks.
The October 26 test advanced this capability by allowing two drones to operate as a coordinated team without an airborne human pilot.
Faster Software Updates
The tests also aim to accelerate updates to autonomous aircraft software. Todd Wesley, Shield AI's vice president of Hivemind engineering, said each flight provides data for the next software release. He added that the development process is approaching a stage where the Air Force could fly a mission, update the software overnight and conduct another flight the following day.
This process is supported by the Air Force's Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA), which separates mission autonomy software from aircraft-specific functions through standard interfaces. This allows new capabilities to be added without redesigning the entire aircraft software system while maintaining competition among suppliers.
Future Drone Operations
Shield AI said its Hivemind software has already been integrated into more than 40 uncrewed systems across air, land, sea and space. The company will continue testing with the Air Force and use flight data to improve the system.
Future tests are expected to involve larger groups of drones and aircraft carrying and employing live munitions. However, the October demonstrations involved only simulated engagements and virtual targets, with no live weapons used.
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