Using gaming industry technology, Raytheon has developed a new “cockpit” for unmanned aerial vehicles and calls it the Universal Control System. Raytheon officials say they sought to build the system around the operator, developing a wrap-around display that will give the operator more situational awareness than any manned platform. The UCS has an “intuitive interface technology” that Raytheon says will make “UAS operators much more effective in learning the UCS system and with significantly less training.”
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.