Scientific Systems Company Inc. (SSCI) last November successfully tested its collaborative autonomous flight software with multiple Group 5 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in a live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) environment.
The tests included the Collaborative Mission Autonomy (CMA) software on a one live General Atomics
MQ-20 Avenger unmanned combat air vehicle and several LVC assets as part of a mixed team of MQ-20 platforms in a multi-vehicle defensive counter-air mission, SSCI said on Tuesday.
The CMA platform includes artificial intelligence and machine learning-driven software for decentralized coordination of the multiple large UAS. The company says the CMA software can scale to a larger number of assets depending on the mission.
“Scientific Systems’ algorithms use operator pre-mission inputs to generate tailored, coordinated flight behaviors that address mission objectives by optimizing aircraft positioning, engagement parameters, and defensive maneuvers,” SSCI said. “In-flight optimization algorithms running at the edge allow the CMA-driven uncrewed team to autonomously re-plan and re-coordinate their tasking and positioning, even when disconnected from their human operators, to account for dynamically changing mission constraints.”
SSCI, which has 120 employees and is based near Boston, said it has conducted previous demonstrations where its CMA software adjusted to various dynamic situations including communication outages, lost teammates, and enemy threat positioning.
In the November tests, conducted at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.’s (GS-ASI) flight operations facility in El Mirage, Calif., SSCI used a mix of LVC platforms, sensors, and effectors in the find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess air combat missions. The testing included multiple targets in multiple scenarios.
“Together with GA-ASI, we’re focused on the rapid development, integration, testing, and demonstration of our collaborative autonomy behaviors,” David “Heat” Lyons, vice president of business development at SSCI and a former F-16 weapons officer and combat fighter pilot, said in a statement. “Moreover, we’re convincingly demonstrating that our open architecture software works not just in a simulation environment but works to command in a live and operationally relevant Group 5 platform like the MQ-20 Avenger, in combat representative operating conditions.”