General Atomics’ new air combat drone, the XQ-67A, is a step towards the Air Force’s “first of a second generation” autonomous aircraft. The drone is part of the Off-Board Sensing Station program, with design contracts awarded in 2021 and GA-ASI selected to build the design in 2023. The first flight was on Feb. 28 at the General Atomics facility near Palmdale, California.
Related to this, the Air Force has been testing Kratos’ XQ-58 Valkyrie drone for the Skyborg program. General Atomics is one of five companies designing collaborative combat aircraft, with plans to narrow vendors down to two or three companies soon. Following the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the XQ-67A demonstrates a common chassis approach to aircraft design and testing.
