US Navy tests autonomy that adapts a plan in flight

General Atomics and the U.S. Navy demonstrated adaptable mission autonomy using an MQ-20 Avenger during Gray Flag 2026 on September 10. The Navy's strike-planning organisation supplied mission context, objectives, constraints and threat information through its A-GRA planning system to General Atomics' TacACE autonomy software. The aircraft then adjusted its behaviour in real time while working alongside human pilots in a combined live, virtual and constructive environment, including a passive-sensing targeting sequence. The trial demonstrated how Navy planning tools can direct autonomous aircraft within a coordinated mission, without establishing that the tested integration has entered operational service.