The pilot of an F-22 just controlled a drone wingman in flight

High above a Nevada test range, an F-22 pilot took control of a combat drone last month, a first for the Air Force's robot wingman effort.

The pilot used a tablet for “command and control” of the MQ‑20 Avenger combat drone during an Oct. 21 flight at the Air Force’s Nevada Test and Training Range, according to a Monday press release by MQ-20 maker General Atomics, which worked on the demonstration with F-22 builder Lockheed Martin and defense company L3Harris.

General Atomics said the exhibit is the latest in a series of demonstrations backed by its own internal research and development funding to show “the art of the possible” in manned-unmanned teaming. L3Harris used its datalinks and software radios with Lockheed Martin’s open radio architectures to showcase the “non-proprietary,