AFWERX Autonomy Prime partners demonstrate autonomous flight capabilities, make history at AGILE FLAG

David O’Brien, left, Reliable Robotics senior vice president of government solutions, briefs Airmen about their autonomous flight capabilities during AGILE FLAG 24-1 at McClellan Airfield in Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 30, 2024. AFWERX Autonomy Prime invited Reliable Robotics to conduct autonomous flight demonstrations during AGILE FLAG and show Air Force leaders how autonomous aviation can contribute to the Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, concept. The ACE concept is to disperse aircraft and equipment between major hub bases and smaller airfields to improve resilience and survivability. AFWERX has awarded Reliable Robotics two Small Business Innovation Research contracts, a Phase Two in April 2022 and a Phase Three in October 2022 to demonstrate the capability in an operationally relevant environment. (U.S. Air Force photo / Matthew Clouse)