From the cockpit of an F-22 fighter to an aircraft carrier sailing in the Pacific, the US military is showing new ways to command uncrewed aircraft over vast distances.

The United States disclosed two tests this month as Washington seeks to outpace Beijing in a technology contest that could redefine air and naval power in the region.

Illustrating US military advances and their potential significance for a Taiwan conflict, an F-22 pilot controlled an autonomous YFQ-44A combat drone during flight, while operators aboard USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier remotely operated an MQ-25A refuelling drone at a facility more than 3,380km (2,100 miles) away in Illinois.

Experts say these technologies could help US forces track and strike targets while keeping manned platforms beyond the reach of enemy defences. They warn, however, that Chinese jamming and anti-satellite attacks could disrupt the communications links needed to command the drones.

China is pursuing similar capabilities, having showcased its GJ-11 stealth attack drone flying in formation with crewed combat jets.

The latest US tests highlighted ways to command uncrewed aircraft. In the F-22 demonstration, disclosed on October 16, the pilot assigned tasks to the YFQ-44A, while the drone’s software carried out manoeuvres without the pilot steering every movement.

The trial also showed the US expanding the types of drones able to work alongside its fighters, a year after an F-22 pilot commanded a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger drone.

The navy’s test, meanwhile, focused on long-distance communications. On Monday, the service announced that operators aboard USS Ronald Reagan used satellites to command an MQ-25A at Boeing’s Illinois facility, which could eventually allow carriers to steer drones far beyond direct radio links.

Other trials have involved a pilot in an F-35 on the ground issuing orders to an airborne drone, and a drone autonomously adjusting its mission plan as conditions changed. Together, the tests illustrate both the growing variety of ways of controlling drones and the increased freedom granted to these assets to carry out tasks.

Analysts say these developments offer combat advantages. For Michael Bosack, director of the Parley Policy Institute, the value lies partly in protecting expensive aircraft and warships. Drones could serve as “scouts, shields or decoys”, carry “different sensors or targeting arrays” or take on enemy drones while crewed aircraft focused elsewhere, he said.

That could force the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to track more aircraft and distinguish real threats from decoys. Drones sent ahead might also locate Chinese warships or missile launchers without exposing US pilots, while others could draw fire from air defences, forcing Chinese forces to reveal radar positions or expend valuable missiles.

Timothy Heath, director of the defence consultancy Perceptum, said a pilot near the fighting could also change a drone’s orders as the situation unfolded, allowing more “flexible and responsive actions”, from scouting ahead to potentially striking a target.

Yet the type of drone matters, too. Peter Layton, a retired Royal Australian Air Force group captain, said sophisticated aircraft such as the YFQ-44A drone were intended to make crewed fighters “more survivable and lethal”, rather than overwhelm defences through sheer numbers.

Layton, now a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, said these drones could carry “additional missiles” for fighters to use against Chinese radars and air-defence weapons. Rather than briefly overwhelming those defences, destroying them could make later American attacks harder to stop.

Whether these advances give Washington an edge will also depend on how far China has progressed.

In November 2024, Chinese aircraft maker AVIC said its two-seat J-20S stealth fighter could team up with drones in combat. Details on how the PLA is applying these concepts, however, remain scarce. In November 2025, the PLA Air Force released footage of a GJ-11 stealth attack drone flying alongside a single-seat J-20 and a J-16D electronic warfare aircraft, without revealing whether either jet was commanding the drone.

A June assessment by the US Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) suggested the PLA Air Force’s 9th Aviation Brigade, also known as 9th Fighter Brigade, had helped validate J-20 tactics involving drones as part of efforts dating back to 2024. Bosack said this could mean China was further ahead in bringing the technology into service, although there was little public evidence of what its systems could actually do.

Earlier research identified hurdles in those efforts. In an August 2025 study, Rand researcher Shanshan Mei found the PLA was still developing ways to incorporate crewed-uncrewed teaming into combat – a key challenge, as advanced aircraft and drones require seamless coordination in rapidly changing situations.

A separate CASI study from April also highlighted related obstacles in operator training, multi-drone coordination and maintaining communications under enemy interference.

Even if the PLA overcomes these challenges, it may have less need for fighter-drone teaming in a Taiwan conflict, experts say.

Heath argued that the PLA “can project power” using missiles, aircraft and drones on the nearby mainland. Such concepts could instead prove more vital farther from the mainland China coast, including in the South China Sea.

For both militaries, however, a fundamental weakness remains: the communications links carrying orders to drones.

Layton said satellite-controlled drones – which could face Chinese “electronic warfare, cyberattacks or disruptions to satellite communications” – would be more exposed to interference than systems operating near fighters.

Bosack said that made alternative command links essential and stressed the need for “redundant satellite capabilities” alongside reliable direct and longer-range communications.

Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.