U.S. Navy Tests Two Autonomous BQM-177A Target Drones Defending Airspace Under Virtual F/A-18 Command
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The U.S. Navy has confirmed it flew two BQM-177A jet aircraft autonomously during a December test off California, with missions assigned by a virtual F/A-18 operating beyond visual range. The demonstration highlights progress toward Collaborative Combat Aircraft concepts, where uncrewed systems execute combat tasks with minimal human input.
On January 12, 2026, the U.S. Navy disclosed that it had successfully conducted a fully autonomous air defense mission using two BQM-177A jet targets at the Point Mugu Sea Range. The December 11 test linked live aircraft with a Live Virtual Constructive environment, allowing a simulated F/A-18 to serve as mission commander, directing the autonomous jets to defend assigned combat air patrol stations as virtual adversaries attempted to breach protected airspace. Navy officials described the event as a controlled but operationally realistic scenario, designed to stress autonomous decision-making while keeping a human operator outside the immediate tactical loop.
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The U.S. Navy has successfully tested fully autonomous BQM-177A jet aircraft defending airspace under the command of a virtual F/A-18, marking a concrete step toward operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft (Picture Source: NAVAIR)
Rather than focusing on flight stability alone, the Navy structured the event around tactical execution. A virtual F/A-18 was designated as mission lead and issued defensive Combat Air Patrol tasking to the two live BQM-177A aircraft. When simulated adversary aircraft attempted to penetrate protected airspace and threaten U.S. forces, the autonomous jets maneuvered and reacted in line with mission objectives, without continuous pilot inputs. This shift from remote piloting to mission supervision is the core development the Navy is now validating for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, signaling that autonomy is being trusted not just to fly, but to fight within defined intent and constraints.
The demonstration was led by PEO Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons through a tightly integrated effort between PMA-208 Aerial Targets and PMA-281 Strike Planning and Execution Systems. The industrial architecture mirrors how the Navy envisions CCA maturing at scale. Shield AI served as lead systems integrator and mission autonomy provider, responsible for platform modifications, payload integration, and technical coordination. Kratos supplied the aircraft, while CTSI delivered the mission planning and pilot-vehicle interface that translated commander intent into executable autonomous tasks.
Technically, the choice of the BQM-177A as an autonomy surrogate is deliberate and revealing. Designed to replicate demanding threat profiles, the BQM-177A operates in a regime that stresses autonomy at jet speed, with published Navy specifications indicating a length of 194 inches, an 84-inch wingspan, an empty weight of roughly 625 pounds, and a full-fuel weight just over 1,070 pounds. Its ability to approach Mach 0.9 at extremely low altitude compresses reaction time and leaves little margin for unstable control laws or indecisive logic, making it an unforgiving but highly relevant testbed for mission autonomy intended for contested airspace.
At the software core of the flight was Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy, operating as a mission-level decision layer rather than a scripted flight controller. In this construct, the remote operator’s role was reduced to safety oversight, while the autonomy stack handled perception, decision-making, and maneuver execution in response to evolving threats inside the LVC fight. Navy officials described this as the first time a fully autonomous aircraft executed a mission beyond the visual range of its operator, a milestone that lays the groundwork for autonomous mission planning and execution without persistent data-link dependence.
Equally significant for long-term fleet integration was progress on the Navy’s Autonomy Government Reference Architecture. By implementing A-GRA interfaces during the demonstration, NAVAIR validated a modular approach intended to keep mission autonomy decoupled from any single airframe or vendor ecosystem. In practical terms, this reduces bespoke integration work, preserves competition, and accelerates the pace at which new autonomy behaviors can be fielded across different unmanned platforms, a critical enabler if CCA is to evolve at software speed rather than aircraft acquisition speed.
The December event builds directly on an earlier August flight that validated foundational advanced vehicle control laws and baseline autonomous behaviors for the BQM-177A. The progression is intentional: first prove safe autonomous control, then prove mission execution inside a manned-unmanned team, and only afterward expand toward higher-density scenarios and more complex tasking. Navy officials emphasized that the entire effort moved from contract to flight in roughly 16 months using agile acquisition methods, underscoring how autonomy development timelines are now being treated as an operational advantage.
For carrier aviation, the operational implications are clear. A manned fighter acting as mission lead while autonomous aircraft defend airspace previews a future air wing where reach, persistence, and tactical mass can be increased without proportionally increasing risk to pilots or consuming scarce fighter flight hours. By relying on high-performance surrogate platforms like the BQM-177A, the Navy is deliberately tightening the test-and-learn loop, exposing autonomy to real-world flight dynamics while preserving frontline assets for operational use.
Additional development and fleet-relevant exercises are planned through 2026 and beyond, with the Navy signaling that future events will continue to stress autonomy under higher tempo and more complex mission constructs. What was proven at Point Mugu is not a finished CCA capability, but a foundational shift: autonomous jets are now being trusted to execute mission intent at speed, inside a contested air battle construct, marking a tangible step toward the Navy’s vision of a collaborative, software-defined carrier air wing.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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The U.S. Navy has confirmed it flew two BQM-177A jet aircraft autonomously during a December test off California, with missions assigned by a virtual F/A-18 operating beyond visual range. The demonstration highlights progress toward Collaborative Combat Aircraft concepts, where uncrewed systems execute combat tasks with minimal human input.
On January 12, 2026, the U.S. Navy disclosed that it had successfully conducted a fully autonomous air defense mission using two BQM-177A jet targets at the Point Mugu Sea Range. The December 11 test linked live aircraft with a Live Virtual Constructive environment, allowing a simulated F/A-18 to serve as mission commander, directing the autonomous jets to defend assigned combat air patrol stations as virtual adversaries attempted to breach protected airspace. Navy officials described the event as a controlled but operationally realistic scenario, designed to stress autonomous decision-making while keeping a human operator outside the immediate tactical loop.
The U.S. Navy has successfully tested fully autonomous BQM-177A jet aircraft defending airspace under the command of a virtual F/A-18, marking a concrete step toward operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft (Picture Source: NAVAIR)
Rather than focusing on flight stability alone, the Navy structured the event around tactical execution. A virtual F/A-18 was designated as mission lead and issued defensive Combat Air Patrol tasking to the two live BQM-177A aircraft. When simulated adversary aircraft attempted to penetrate protected airspace and threaten U.S. forces, the autonomous jets maneuvered and reacted in line with mission objectives, without continuous pilot inputs. This shift from remote piloting to mission supervision is the core development the Navy is now validating for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, signaling that autonomy is being trusted not just to fly, but to fight within defined intent and constraints.
The demonstration was led by PEO Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons through a tightly integrated effort between PMA-208 Aerial Targets and PMA-281 Strike Planning and Execution Systems. The industrial architecture mirrors how the Navy envisions CCA maturing at scale. Shield AI served as lead systems integrator and mission autonomy provider, responsible for platform modifications, payload integration, and technical coordination. Kratos supplied the aircraft, while CTSI delivered the mission planning and pilot-vehicle interface that translated commander intent into executable autonomous tasks.
Technically, the choice of the BQM-177A as an autonomy surrogate is deliberate and revealing. Designed to replicate demanding threat profiles, the BQM-177A operates in a regime that stresses autonomy at jet speed, with published Navy specifications indicating a length of 194 inches, an 84-inch wingspan, an empty weight of roughly 625 pounds, and a full-fuel weight just over 1,070 pounds. Its ability to approach Mach 0.9 at extremely low altitude compresses reaction time and leaves little margin for unstable control laws or indecisive logic, making it an unforgiving but highly relevant testbed for mission autonomy intended for contested airspace.
At the software core of the flight was Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy, operating as a mission-level decision layer rather than a scripted flight controller. In this construct, the remote operator’s role was reduced to safety oversight, while the autonomy stack handled perception, decision-making, and maneuver execution in response to evolving threats inside the LVC fight. Navy officials described this as the first time a fully autonomous aircraft executed a mission beyond the visual range of its operator, a milestone that lays the groundwork for autonomous mission planning and execution without persistent data-link dependence.
Equally significant for long-term fleet integration was progress on the Navy’s Autonomy Government Reference Architecture. By implementing A-GRA interfaces during the demonstration, NAVAIR validated a modular approach intended to keep mission autonomy decoupled from any single airframe or vendor ecosystem. In practical terms, this reduces bespoke integration work, preserves competition, and accelerates the pace at which new autonomy behaviors can be fielded across different unmanned platforms, a critical enabler if CCA is to evolve at software speed rather than aircraft acquisition speed.
The December event builds directly on an earlier August flight that validated foundational advanced vehicle control laws and baseline autonomous behaviors for the BQM-177A. The progression is intentional: first prove safe autonomous control, then prove mission execution inside a manned-unmanned team, and only afterward expand toward higher-density scenarios and more complex tasking. Navy officials emphasized that the entire effort moved from contract to flight in roughly 16 months using agile acquisition methods, underscoring how autonomy development timelines are now being treated as an operational advantage.
For carrier aviation, the operational implications are clear. A manned fighter acting as mission lead while autonomous aircraft defend airspace previews a future air wing where reach, persistence, and tactical mass can be increased without proportionally increasing risk to pilots or consuming scarce fighter flight hours. By relying on high-performance surrogate platforms like the BQM-177A, the Navy is deliberately tightening the test-and-learn loop, exposing autonomy to real-world flight dynamics while preserving frontline assets for operational use.
Additional development and fleet-relevant exercises are planned through 2026 and beyond, with the Navy signaling that future events will continue to stress autonomy under higher tempo and more complex mission constructs. What was proven at Point Mugu is not a finished CCA capability, but a foundational shift: autonomous jets are now being trusted to execute mission intent at speed, inside a contested air battle construct, marking a tangible step toward the Navy’s vision of a collaborative, software-defined carrier air wing.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
