US Navy taps MQ-20 Avenger for autonomy mission planning drive
The US Navy is bringing the MQ-20 Avenger into a new effort to modernize planning for autonomous operations. The service has partnered with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to use the unmanned aircraft in its Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning and Debrief, or CAMP, project, a program aimed at improving how uncrewed tactical systems are planned, managed, and reviewed.
CAMP supports Naval Air Systems Command’s Strike Planning and Execution Systems Office, known as PMA-281. The work focuses on operation mapping tools, artificial intelligence model management, and autonomy workflows designed to update mission planning for uncrewed platforms. General Atomics said the MQ-20 assigned to the project will carry government reference implementation software, electronic warfare countermeasures, and infrared search and track payloads to support the Navy’s testing goals.
The program will culminate in a live assessment during a fleet exercise later this year. In that event, the aircraft will be used to evaluate planning and debrief methods for autonomous missions in demanding operational scenarios. The MQ-20 will also be tested for threat neutralization, air patrol, and network connectivity through Link 16 Tactical Targeting Network Technology and Starlink satellite communications. The activities will involve coordination with other Navy systems that use comparable military digital data links, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
The Navy sees CAMP as part of a broader push to expand mission planning support for autonomy across the force. That includes work on AI decision limits, behavioral tasking, rules of engagement, and wider mission analysis. The tools and processes being built under the project are also tied to the Navy’s Joint Digital Autonomy Range and Joint Simulation Environment, giving the service a faster path to validate autonomy concepts and operational strategies before field use.
The effort signals a shift from isolated autonomous flight trials to more integrated human-machine mission planning. If the fleet exercise validates the approach, the Navy could gain a faster way to test, assess, and deploy autonomous systems for complex missions, strengthening how uncrewed aircraft plug into frontline air and naval operations.