The US Navy's P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane and the MQ-4C Triton long-endurance maritime surveillance drone are set to take their teaming capabilities to a new level. A recent laboratory test demonstrated the ability of P-8A crews to issue direct commands to MQ-4Cs, enabling the drones to perform assigned missions autonomously and report back.
This new capability will offer greater flexibility, especially in responding to sudden changes in the battlespace. The test, conducted by Boeing and Northrop Grumman, used common command and control architectures to enable P-8A crews to task MQ-4Cs directly in flight.
The ability to dynamically task and retask MQ-4Cs without going through a ground command center will speed up the process of responding to unexpected threats or targets of interest. This development is part of the US military's investment in crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities and could be valuable for future coalition operations.
