General Atomics's YFQ-42A takes flight in a file photo. (General Atomics photo)
WASHINGTON — A drone wingman built by General Atomics has resumed flying roughly one month after crashing in the California desert shortly after takeoff.
In a press release Thursday, the company said its YFQ-44A aircraft “returned to flight testing following a round of safety reviews and software enhancements.” Nobody was injured in the April 6 crash, which, according to the firm, stemmed from “an autopilot miscalculation for the weight and center of gravity of the aircraft, prompting a software remediation.”
The drone is being developed for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. According to an Air Force official overseeing the effort, the drone’s crash and the team’s subsequent response actually underscores that the program is taking the right approach.
“The CCA program was and is set up to learn, even when the learning comes from ‘failing forward,’” said Col. Timothy Helfrich, the Air Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for fighters and advanced aircraft. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced Helfrich has been tapped for promotion to brigadier general.
