autonomous UTAP-22 aircraft
Maj. Nathan McCaskey, an F-16 Test Pilot with the 96th Test Wing , observes an autonomous UTAP-22 aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico, May 5, 2021. The pilotless aircraft was modified to operate under its own computerized control as part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Autonomous Attritable Aircraft Experiment. This flight was the closest a manned fighter has flown to an unmanned aircraft under autonomous control in the history of the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Tristan McIntire)