26 June 2024 – The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has successfully completed the maiden flight of the first in 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) programme on 28 February 2024.
The AFRL OBSS programme validates a design, build, and test process that led to the development of the XQ-67A. It is the first of its kind to be constructed using a common chassis or “genus” — much like the frame of a motor vehicle. With the successful completion of its first flight, the XQ-67A demonstrates the effectiveness of this genus-based approach, enabling faster and more cost-efficient aircraft replication.
Designed and constructed 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 efforts of the Air Force Test Centre’s X-62 VISTA and F-16 VENOM programmes to accelerate the development and deployment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
By Aleah Castrejon, Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs | afrl.af.mil
