Report: US Air Force tests jamming pod on MQ-9 drone

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has announced that the U.S. Air Force demonstrated its MQ-9 drone integrated with the Angry Kitten jamming pod at a test this spring.

As noted by the company, the U.S. Air Force flew a remotely piloted aircraft equipped with an Angry Kitten ALQ-167 Electronic Warfare Countermeasure Pod for the first time on April 27, 2023.

The Angry Kitten EW Pod is supplied to the U.S. Air Force by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and has flown on other Department of Defense systems, including F-16s. GA-ASI integrated the EW pod in less than nine months at no cost to the U.S. Air Force by using a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement.

“It was great to see the Angry Kitten Pod on an Air Force platform for the first time,” said GA-ASI Vice President of DoD Strategic Development Patrick Shortsleeve. “Flying this EW capability on an MQ-9A demonstrates its possible use on future aircraft.”

The Air Force plans to continue flying with Angry Kitten Pods over the next 12 to 24 months to develop the best Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) to leverage EW capabilities in support of the Joint Force and partner nations.