Continuing the success of late 2019, where two Boeing EA-18G Growlers flew through the air without pilot control in a test run at the Patuxent River, Maryland base, now the US Navy and Boeing report that they have completed a series of flight tests in manned-unmanned teaming ( MUM-T), in which the F/A-18F Super Hornet Block III managed to control three drones.
Boeing released that its engineers have connected an additional processor in the Block III Super Hornet, known as the Distributed Targeting Processor – Networked (DTP-N), with a third-party tablet console (Tactical Control Tablet) to work with drones.
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Boeing developed new software for DTP-N specifically to run third-party tablets and send control commands to drones. Reportedly, software development, tablet connection to fighter aircraft and all flight tests were completed in less than six months.
“The F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III carries out its hardware guarantees – installed today – that are ready to receive future software. The Super Hornet will integrate third-party systems and software with minimal modifications," said Ben LeGrand, Boeing director of Mission Systems.
In the MUM-T program, Boeing partners with the F/A-18 & EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265), Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 and 31, Weapons Division Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California. , and the third is the vendor who plays a role during the trial.
During test flights, F/A-18 pilots entered commands into a tablet device, which were processed and transmitted via hardware onboard the Block III Super Hornet fighter jet. While the drone carried out all the orders given by the F/A-18 pilot, the MUM-T test period lasted two weeks.
“As part of the command and control network, the drone team that performs the latest Super Hornet-led ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) mission, is equipped with network-enabled data fusion and advanced capabilities and provides pilots with a significant information advantage. combat on the real field of operations,” said Scott Dickson, Boeing director for Multi-Domain Integration.
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