F-22 Commands Drone During LMT, GA-ASI MUM-T Tests

Lockheed Martin Uses F-22 to Command Drone in Flight | Image: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, in collaboration with industry partners and the U.S. Air Force, has completed a flight demonstration in which an F-22 Raptor pilot controlled an uncrewed aerial system from the cockpit while in flight. The test took place at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where the pilot used an open interface to transmit commands to another airborne UAS.

“This effort represents Skunk Works driving a breakthrough in air combat capability, where single-seat aircraft command and control drones with simple and intuitive interfaces in the cockpit,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.

According to Lockheed Martin, the pilot used a Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) to direct the drone through a specific mission profile. The PVI is designed as a flexible integration system that can be applied to current and future platforms. The company said the demonstration is part of ongoing work to integrate autonomous and AI-enabled operations across crewed and uncrewed systems, including experimentation with the F-22 and F-35.

Lockheed Martin stated that such tests are aligned with the U.S. Air Force’s family-of-systems approach to future air combat, aimed at improving situational awareness, interoperability, survivability and operational flexibility through human-machine teaming.

An General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet | Image: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc

General Atomics said in a demonstration on October 21, 2025, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Lockheed Martin and L3Harris conducted a crewed-uncrewed teaming flight involving an F-22 and a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger unmanned aircraft. L3Harris provided BANSHEE advanced tactical datalinks and Pantera software-defined radios for the test, integrated via Lockheed Martin’s open radio architectures.

Two software-defined radios were used: one installed on the MQ-20 Avenger and the other on the F-22. Through the pilot vehicle interface and the F-22’s GRACE module, the system enabled end-to-end communications and allowed the F-22 to command and control the MQ-20 during flight. The companies said the event demonstrated the use of government-owned, non-proprietary communications technologies and supported the broader Open Mission Systems framework.

The demonstration took place at the Nevada Test and Training Range and was part of a series of industry-funded tests aimed at advancing crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities.