June 26, 2024 – The Air Force Research Laboratory successfully conducted the first flight of a second generation of Autonomous Collaborative Platforms, known as the XQ-67A demonstrator. The aircraft was built and flown under the Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program on February 28, 2024.
The AFRL OBSS program validates a design, build, and test process that resulted in the development of the XQ-67A. It is the first of its kind to be built using a common chassis or “genus”—much like a motor vehicle frame. With the success of its maiden flight, the XQ-67A proves the effectiveness of this genus-based approach, enabling faster and more cost-effective aircraft replication.
Designed and built in just over two years, the XQ-67A is capable of both autonomous flight and remote piloting. It builds upon the success of the XQ-58A Valkyrie and complements the Air Force Test Center’s X-62 VISTA and F-16 VENOM efforts to accelerate the fielding of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
By Aleah Castrejon, Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs | afrl.af.mil
