On June 24, a 44-foot-long drone flew over California, reflecting the success of a new experiment in the "Skyburg Vanguard" program for drones, which can escort fighter jets on the battlefield, perform dangerous missions, and possibly lead battles, the news site The voice of Lebanon reports.

The flight lasted two and a half hours using the UQ "MQ-20 Avenger" produced by General Atomics and its wingspan 76 meters.

This is the second test flight of the "Skyburg Vanguard" program, after the first test flight took place at the end of April, with a smaller aircraft made by the "Kratos" company.

The Skyborg program is designed to enable the U.S. Air Force to operate and maintain low-cost aircraft that can harm opponents in rapid and decisive action in a challenging environment.

Three companies, Boeing, General Atomics and Kratos, are currently developing aircraft for the US Air Force's Skyburg program.

Unique tasks

Aircraft flying through the Skyborg program are able to detect threats against them, as well as identify aircraft structures manned in the air and on the ground, as well as their ability to monitor and assess risks, and find solutions to attack or neutralize threats.

One of the main tasks of Skyburg drones is to gather information and pass it on to pilots.

Such aircraft can also provide additional weapons capabilities, by deploying missiles or bombs, and can also perform "collaborative electronic warfare" by blocking electronic signals coming from enemy devices.

According to experts, this type of drone will be cheaper than conventional fighter jets, and since they do not carry people on board, it will be possible to sacrifice them faster in dangerous situations.

The new aircraft are supposed to fly alongside tactical fighter jets like the F-35 and F-15EX and perform dangerous missions for the human pilots.