At Gray Flag 2026 the Navy used an MQ-20 Avenger surrogate to demonstrate CAMP, a tool that translates operator mission plans into executable orders for autonomous aircraft and builds on the EPIC autonomy work.
Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning (CAMP) translated a stitched-together mission plan into executable orders for an MQ-20 Avenger surrogate during Gray Flag 2026.
PMX-281 sees CAMP as a way to reduce operator workload and improve interoperability between human planners and autonomous systems.
CAMP expands the Experimental Platform for Intelligent Combat (EPIC) framework and is intended as a foundation for information-sharing across autonomous vessels.
# What happened The Navy demonstrated a new information-sharing capability this month that links how operators plan missions with how autonomous aircraft execute them. The demonstration, conducted during Gray Flag 2026 at Point Mugu Sea Range, used an MQ-20 Avenger surrogate aircraft and the Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning tool, or CAMP.
# Why it matters CAMP converts a human-created mission plan into instructions an autonomous aircraft can follow. Program office Strike Planning & Execution Systems (PMX-281) tested the flow: personnel assembled a mission plan, shared it with the autonomous aircraft, and watched the aircraft carry out the directions. PMX-281 program manager Capt. Todd "Toby" Keith described the test as a way to reduce operator burden and improve interoperability between planners and autonomous systems.
# Navy autonomy efforts
# What the demonstration showed
Capt. Todd "Toby" Keith said the demonstration connects current operator planning methods with autonomous execution. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, speaking separately at the 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, stressed urgency in developing autonomous capabilities and warned that time to build required forces is limited.
# What's next The Navy positions CAMP as foundational technology that can be adapted for other autonomous vessels and platforms. The demonstration advances the Navy's ability to hand off human plans to machines, but the service has not announced a timeline for operational deployment. Additional testing and integration with other autonomy initiatives under EPIC and related programs are implied next steps.
# Bottom line CAMP demonstrates a practical capability: translating human mission plans into executable instructions for autonomous aircraft. It does not promise immediate fleet fielding, but it does show a clear technical link the Navy expects to use as it integrates more unmanned systems into complex operations.
The U.S Navy recently demonstrated that an autonomous aircraft can receive a mission plan and execute that mission as part of the Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning (CAMP) tool, the service announced Tuesday. CAMP is meant to integrate autonomous aircraft with mission planners, helping the two communicate in a com
The U.S. Navy demonstrated a new system for planning and controlling autonomous combat aircraft during Gray Flag 2026, a large-force test event held at Point Mugu Sea Range in California this month. The Navy calls the system Collaborative Autonomy Mission Planning, or CAMP. The demonstration used a General Atomics MQ-2
A new tool was used in a recent demonstration involving an MQ-20 Avenger autonomous aircraft, which received the plans from the human operator.
The trial, from 17 to 21 August, assessed two Australian-developed systems: the uncrewed maritime-logistics-focused Callisto 50 trial demonstrated autonomous launch and recovery from a moving ship, while the Arace Angel trialled airborne surveillance and night operations.
Leidos said its maritime autonomy portfolio has logged more than 200,000 nautical miles of operation.
U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced a new autonomous development center to train sailors and test new technology.
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.