The US Air Force tested the Angry Kitten electronic warfare system on the MQ-9A Reaper drone

At the end of the summer of 2022, we wrote about an interesting US development called the Angry Kitten. This spring, the US Air Force tested it on the MQ-9A Reaper drone.

Here's What We Know

The 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron has completed the first ground and flight tests of the MQ-9A Reaper equipped with the Angry Kitten ALQ-167 electronic countermeasures unit. The system was tested in April at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada and was a success.

As part of the test, US Air Force specialists focused on providing an electronic drone attack. The Reaper is normally used for reconnaissance and gathering information about the enemy, although it can be equipped with missile weapons if desired.

Electronic warfare is the struggle to control the electromagnetic spectrum, which is used to communicate between units, guide weapons and suppress the enemy. The US Department of Defense believes that dominance there will be crucial in a potential war against russia or China.

The US Air Force has neglected electronic warfare capabilities for years. Now the service is trying to make up for it. To that end, it launched a project in early fall 2022 to identify shortcomings, seek funding to fix them and determine next steps.

Angry Kitten uses machine learning to select the most effective way to suppress enemy assets and assess the enemy's response to jamming signals. The system was initially used only in exercises to simulate the performance of enemy jamming assets.

Angry Kitten is based on technology developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology Research in 2013. After successful tests, the US Air Force decided to create four combat versions of the system.

Source: 53rd Wing