Navy demonstrates mission-planning link for autonomous aircraft

The U.S. Navy demonstrated a system that converts human-written mission plans into instructions an autonomous aircraft can follow, connecting the service's existing planning process to autonomous flight.

The test took place September 10 during Gray Flag 2026 at the Point Mugu Sea Range in California. A General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger served as a surrogate autonomous aircraft while the Navy exercised its Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning capability, known as CAMP, from drafting a plan through execution and review of the results.

Mission planners define aircraft roles, timing, authorities and limitations in the Collaborative Mission Planning Continuum. CAMP then converts that information into a form an autonomous aircraft can use to carry out its assigned part of the mission.

Capt. Todd "Toby" Keith, program manager for PMX-281, said the demonstration showed how the way operators plan missions today could be connected to the way autonomous aircraft will fly them. That could ease the load on operators, improve interoperability and move collaborative autonomy closer to operational use, he said.

The Navy said CAMP is meant to work across different aircraft and autonomy systems, so planners would not have to convert plans into separate formats for each platform. It follows earlier work under the service's Experimental Platform for Intelligent Combat program, which has shown autonomous vehicle control, mission behaviours and coordinated operations with surrogate aircraft.

The test comes as the Navy pursues other autonomous aviation efforts, including a search for prototypes of a carrier-capable combat aircraft and work on the MQ-25A Stingray.