The tests at the Queensland Flight Test Range in Cloncurry, Australia demonstrated how the 11-foot (3.4-m) aircraft could use on-board command and control and data sharing capabilities to collaborate with one another.

Autonomous technology may seem like a more advanced autopilot and navigation system, but its implications are much greater than that. An autonomous system can not only be programmed, it can also be taught or even learn on its own by combining advanced sensors, powerful real-time processors, and data-link capabilities to communicate directly with other aircraft, platforms and ground control without the need for a human intermediary.