LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Nominal, the software company building the modern test stack to field mission-critical systems faster, supported a recent U.S. Navy flight test demonstration supporting future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) efforts, enabling faster analysis and validation of manned-unmanned collaborative autonomy.
In partnership with Naval Air Systems Command’s Strike Planning and Execution Program (PMA-281) and Aerial Targets Program (PMA-208), Shield AI and Kratos successfully flew two live BQM-177A subsonic aerial targets powered by Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software. The aircraft executed autonomous mission behaviors and the Nominal Core software platform supported test planning, data collection, and post-flight analysis.
“Autonomy at scale depends on testing that keeps pace with development,” said Cameron McCord, CEO and co-founder of Nominal. “Demonstrations like this show how modern testing can help the Department validate manned-unmanned collaborative autonomy faster while maintaining rigor and confidence.”
Nominal Core was used to rapidly ingest and organize flight telemetry and supporting test data, allowing Navy and industry teams to collaboratively assess autonomy performance, vehicle response, and mission execution. The software platform also enabled NAVAIR and industry partners to aggregate relevant insights from historical flight tests, providing critical context and improving continuous learning across future test cycles.
This demonstration supports the Navy’s efforts to advance AI-enabled autonomy and manned-unmanned teaming concepts in support of future CCA programs. The BQM-177A provides an operationally relevant test platform for exercising autonomy behaviors and mission execution. The Navy plans to build on this demonstration with additional flight tests focused on expanded autonomy behaviors and increased mission complexity.
As the Department of War advances collaborative autonomy, modernized testing approaches will be critical to realizing these warfighting capabilities on operationally relevant timelines.
Distribution Statement A – NAVAIR Public Release SPR 2026-0077 is approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
About Nominal
Founded in 2022, Nominal is built on the belief that learning from tests faster than the threat is how the United States builds lasting technological advantage. By turning testing into a continuous, secure source of truth across complex programs, Nominal helps the government and its partners field mission-critical systems with speed and confidence. For more information, visit: https://nominal.io/. Follow Nominal on LinkedIn and X.
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