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USAF demos gatewayONE ‘fifth generation connectivity
by Gareth Jennings
The US Air Force (USAF) has demonstrated the gatewayONE ‘fifth generation’ connectivity payload in a series of tests over the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
A US. Air Force F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning II fly in formation with the XQ-58A Valkyrie UAV over the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground testing range in Arizona, during a series of gatewayONE ‘fifth generation’ connectivity tests on 9 December. (US Air Force)
The service announced that the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), along with partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., had flown with the gatewayONE payload aboard a XQ-58A Valkyrie UAV demonstrator in formation with a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) on 9 December.
An XQ-58A Valkyrie low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle launches at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., Dec. 9, 2020. The acquisition team – comprised of Air Force Research Laboratory and Air Force Life Cycle Management Center personnel working in conjunction with Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.’s 46th Test Squadron – came together to conduct the historic test. (Air Force photograph by Staff Sgt. Joshua King)
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During the test event, an F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning, the Air Force’s two fifth-generation fighters formed up off the wings of the smaller Valkyrie as it continued to fly autonomously in formation. This is a major milestone in the service’s efforts to provide low cost force multipliers in relevant operational environments.