Avenger UAS Autonomously Tracks and Follows Target Aircraft

By Caroline Rees / 25 Aug 2021

Smart Sourcing for Unmanned Systems

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow UST

A General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) Avenger UAS equipped with a Lockheed Martin Legion Pod, has successfully autonomously tracked and followed airborne targets for the first time. The demonstration took place over the high desert of southern California in July. 

GA-ASI Avenger with LM Legion Pod


The industry-funded demonstration brings military aviators one step closer to gaining autonomous systems that support Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) in joint all-domain operations.

“GA-ASI is committed to developing persistent and affordable solutions to meet the challenges of air domain awareness and defensive counter air against near-peer threats,” said GA-ASI Vice President of Special Programs Chris Pehrson. 

“The success of this Avenger/Legion Pod demonstration represents an important step toward more sophisticated autonomous missions for unmanned aircraft and MUM-T in a complex battlespace.”

During the flight, Legion Pod’s Infrared Search and Track System (IRST21) detected multiple fast-moving aircraft operating in the area and transmitted target tracking information to the Avenger’s autonomy engine. The autonomy prioritized the targets and directed Avenger maneuvers for target engagement. 

“This flight demonstrates a critical sensor capability that enables unmanned combat air vehicles like the Avenger to operate autonomously in Joint All-Domain Operations,” said Dave Belvin, vice president of Sensors and Global Sustainment at Lockheed Martin. 

“We designed Legion Pod to passively detect and track targets for tactical fighter pilots in radar-denied environments. This capability provides the data necessary to enable unmanned vehicles to track and engage hostile airborne targets without human intervention.”

This flight builds on GA-ASI’s autonomy flight test series that started in December 2020 to demonstrate next generation air-to-air Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) functionality. Integrating Legion Pod software into the Avenger Mission Management System (MMS) took less than three months and was enabled through the Open Mission Systems (OMS) message standards. This OMS demonstration proves that existing operational systems can be rapidly integrated across platforms with minimal cost.

Find suppliers & manufacturers of Fixed-Wing UAV >>

Posted by Caroline Rees Caroline co-founded Unmanned Systems Technology and has been at the forefront of the business ever since. With a Masters Degree in marketing Caroline has her finger on the pulse of all things unmanned and is committed to showcasing the very latest in unmanned technical innovation. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Most Read Articles on UST This Week

Here’s our round-up of the five most read articles on UnmannedSystemsTechnology.com this week

Apr 17, 2025
Updates on Conformal Coating & Tin Whiskers

SCS outlines updates on conformal coatings and tin whiskers, looking into the origin of tin whiskers, how to mitigate their adverse consequences with conformal coatings, and more

Apr 17, 2025
Quadratix Powers Multi-Domain UAS Operations with AI & Automation

General Atomics integrates its software expertise into Quadratix, a unified ecosystem designed to enhance multi-domain operations with AI, automation, and real-time data fusion across air, land, sea, cyber, and space, including unmanned systems

Apr 17, 2025
Integrated ROV Camera & DVR System Streamlines Visual Inspections

SubC Imaging outlines how its Rayfin SCI system simplifies underwater inspections by combining camera control and DVR functions into a single interface for ROV operators

Apr 17, 2025
ParaZero Unveils Advanced Parachute Recovery System for Critical Drone Operations

ParaZero launches the SafeAir M4, an advanced parachute recovery system designed for the DJI Matrice 4, enhancing drone safety, compliance, and mission readiness

Apr 17, 2025
The Evolution of Aurora Flight Sciences’ sUAS Platforms

Aurora Flight Sciences has spent more than ten years refining sUAS capabilities, and its evolving platforms now support a broad range of ISR missions

Apr 17, 2025

Featured Content

WarrenUAS Adds Another Top Expert in Sophisticated Unmanned Aircraft

WarrenUAS has announced a collaborative agreement with The Tactien Group, deepening its industry ties and expanding its leadership in unmanned aircraft systems training and research

Apr 15, 2025
​​​​Teledyne Marine Launches Compact Autonomous Navigation Solution at Ocean Business

Teledyne Marine has unveiled the Compact Navigator at Ocean Business 2025, an ultra-compact autonomous navigation system designed for ROVs and AUVs, optimizing size, power, and performance in a single lightweight unit

Apr 10, 2025
Greensea IQ to Present Autonomous EverClean Robot at Ocean Business 2025

Greensea IQ will introduce its hybrid EverClean Inspection Robot at Ocean Business 2025, showcasing advanced capabilities for underwater asset inspection and data collection

Apr 07, 2025
Advancing Unmanned Systems Through Strategic Collaboration UST works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive unmanned systems capabilities forward.