GA-ASI and L3Harris joined forces to demonstrate Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming of an F-22 and MQ-20 using the new BANSHEE datalinks and Pantera radios.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced that, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and L3Harris Technologies, it has conducted a successful Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming demonstration using an F-22 Raptor and an MQ-20 Avenger drone. Although only announced on Nov. 17, 2025, the test took place on Oct. 21 at the Nevada Test and Training Range.
The Demonstration
GA-ASI says the demonstration is part of an ongoing series of flight demonstrations performed using internal research and development funding to showcase “the art of the possible” between manned and unmanned teaming. The goal of the Oct. 21 demo was to demonstrate the integration of L3Harris’ BANSHEE Advanced Tactical Datalinks with its Pantera software-defined radios (SDRs) via Lockheed Martin’s open radio architectures, all integrated and shared from an F-22 Raptor.
Specifically, the press release mentions that two SDRs were used, with the first installed on the MQ-20 and the second on the F-22. These allowed the F-22’s pilot to take command of the MQ-20 in flight trough the Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) tablet and the F‑22’s GRACE module.
In an emailed statement, Lockheed Martin said the PVI, which is hardware-agnostic, was developed by the Skunk Works division, which also orchestrated the demo to showcase capabilities critical to the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft family of systems. “This effort represents Skunk Works bringing its diverse and unique expertise to the table to lead the way demonstrating the future of air combat, where single-seat aircraft command and control drones with simple and intuitive interfaces in the cockpit,” said OJ Sanchez, Vice President and General Manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
Regarding GRACE, or Government Reference Architecture Compute Environment, this is a new software being integrated on the Raptor, which would allow “non-traditional F-22 software” to be installed on the aircraft and provide “additional processing and pilot interfaces.” The existence of this software was first mentioned in 2024 as part of the ongoing upgrades for the F-22 fleet.
“The collaborative demonstration showcased non-proprietary, U.S. government-owned communications capabilities and the ability to fly, transition, and re-fly flight hardware that is core to the Open Mission Systems and skills based unmanned autonomy ecosystem,” said GA-ASI underscoring the importance of the test.
The F-22 as “Threshold Platform” for CCA
The news about the demonstration follows a recent report by Aviation Week, which mentioned the U.S. Air Force will initially pair CCAs only with the F-22 Raptor. In fact, the service mentioned in a report to Congress that the Raptor is the “threshold platform” for CCA, while integration with F-16s, F-35As, F-15Es and F-15EXs is being considered.
“America’s adversaries are countering U.S. air power with greater mass and a challenging air defense laydown that limits the United States’ ability to project combat power in traditional ways,” the report says. “CCAs allow for risk-tolerant aircraft at a lower price point and serve as a force multiplier.”
Aviation Week further mentioned that the report says CCAs “are expected to increase survivability of crewed aircraft, while expanding sensor coverage, carrying additional weapons, increasing capacity of combat aircraft, providing flexibility for different missions and providing a less costly option compared to crewed fighters.”
In a separate report, Breaking Defense mentioned that, according to an Air Force official, the Raptor is only the starting point, and it was prioritized due to its availability and role in the “pacing environment.”
The Air Force is also continuing parallel testing with the XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aircraft to prepare for the introduction of CCAs. In fact, the service has recently demonstrated the ability to have multiple autonomous collaborative platforms (ACPs) flying alongside crewed fighter aircraft.
During an air combat training scenario at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the pilots of an F-16C Fighting Falcon and an F-15E Strike Eagle each controlled two XQ-58As. The test has been defined as “a major leap in human-machine teaming.”
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) also said the goal of the XQ-58’s integration into air combat scenarios is to reduce pilot workload while enhancing situational awareness and mission effectiveness. Moreover, “data from the recent flight demonstration will inform future development and deployment of semi-autonomous capabilities across the Department of Defense,” seemingly referring to the CCAs.
