The Air Force Research Laboratory’s development of uncrewed vehicle autonomy and other related technologies reaches back more than two decades. A significant early milestone was the X-45, where AFRL partnered with DARPA and NASA in an advanced technology demonstration from 1998 to 2006.
The X-45 was an autonomy-enabled platform that tested the ability for these types of vehicles to conduct Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).
In 2005, a test saw two X-45s autonomously react to a pop-up simulated surface to air missile, and with remote operator approval, conduct a successful autonomous attack on it.
Air Force Historian, Jeff Duford, joins the AFRL “Discovery to Delivery” video series to uncover the historic scope and role of AFRL’s critical research, which delivers today’s warfighting capabilities. More