CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - The Boeing Co. (BA) said on Tuesday that it has conducted, together with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a force-integrated air-to-air autonomous weapon engagement from an MQ-28 Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
The demonstration involved the MQ-28 operating alongside a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail, an airborne early-warning and control aircraft, and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet to destroy a fighter-class target drone.
Key highlights of the mission included the MQ-28, E-7A and F/A-18F launching from separate locations before forming an integrated network. An E-7A operator assumed custodianship of the MQ-28, while the F/A-18F provided sensor support and shared targeting data after identifying the target drone. The MQ-28 then repositioned, received authorization from the E-7A, and destroyed the target with a Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.
The activity was carried out in cooperation with the RAAF, the U.S. Air Force and industry partners.
'This is the first time an autonomous aircraft has completed an air-to-air weapon engagement with an AIM-120 missile, establishing the MQ-28 as a mature combat capable CCA,' said Amy List, managing director, Boeing Defence Australia.
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