Battlefield control

has completed flight demonstrations of a new system that will enable US Army command and control helicopters to form and manage teams of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and manned strike aircraft.

Called the Mobile Commander’s Associate (MCA), the system is said to integrate key functionality required for manned/unmanned teaming: connectivity to multiple digital radio links to provide simultaneous command and control of UAVs and communicate with ground and manned aerial forces; decision-aiding technology to monitor the UAV team’s flight activity with minimal human input; and fusion of ground and airborne sensor data to build a situational picture of the evolving battlefield.

‘These integrated capabilities are important because they give airborne commanders control of UAVs that can fly reconnaissance missions and provide targeting information to manned attack aircraft,’ said Michele Evans, vice president for Aircraft Systems at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration – Owego. ‘As these teaming technologies mature, joint forces will significantly reduce the risk to manned aircraft and the timeline to find and engage targets.’