Category Archives: Applications & Testing & Experience

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Showcases AI‑Driven Mission‑Contingency Management on an Autonomous UAV Demonstration

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works successfully completed a live demonstration of artificial intelligence driven mission contingency management (AI/MCM) on a Stalker XE Block 25 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and an Alta X 2.0 drone modified by Drone Amplified. This test demonstrates how AI can automatically adjust an unmanned mission when an unexpected problem occurs, advancing the shift towards more autonomous unmanned operations. Continue reading

Bayraktar Kizilelma Unmanned Fighter Executes Beyond Visual Range Simulated Air-to-Air Strike

Turkey’s Bayraktar Kizilelma unmanned fighter scored the first recorded beyond visual range air-to-air kill by a jet-powered UAV during a Black Sea test on 30 November 2025. In the test conducted with the participation of two F-16 fighter jets of the Turkish Air Force, KIZILELMA locked onto the target F-16 using the national AESA Radar MURAD, and achieved a direct hit in its simulated fire test with the national air-to-air missile GÖKDOĞAN. Continue reading

GA-ASI Completes Full-Scale Fatigue Test on MQ-9B

On October 31, 2025, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.  completed its “third lifetime” of full-scale fatigue (FSF) testing for the MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA). Completion of FSF testing for the third and final lifetime includes a total of 120,000 operating hours (40,000+ flight hours per aircraft life) for the RPA and is a key milestone in validating the design of the airframe. Continue reading

UAV Navigation Enables Synchronized Autonomous Flights in Spanish M-UMT Trials

The Spanish consortium SATNUS, formed by GMV, Sener and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, has recently completed the third flight test campaign of the FCAS/NGWS program, successfully validating the Manned-Unmanned Teaming & Common Systems Demonstrator (MCSD), a platform based on a modified target drone. Continue reading

China’s Stealthy GJ-11 ‘Mysterious Dragon’ Appears on TV

On November 11, 2025, China marked the 76th anniversary of its air force with the release of a short film titled “Far-Reaching Dreams” showing for the first time its GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealth drone (now renamed Dark Dragon) flying in formation with the J-20 fighter jet and J-16D electronic warfare aircraft. Continue reading