In this fortnightly online column, ADM journalist Corey Lee Bell covers defence news across Japan and the Republic of Korea.
ATLA and Subaru announce MUM-T fighter test results
Japan has successfully carried out initial tests on teaming single manned combat aircraft with multiple aerial drones, according to recent reports from Subaru and Japan’s Ministry of Defense’s Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA).
On November 28, Subaru released a press report stating that ATLA’s Air Systems Research Centre (ASRC) had carried out manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) tests using drones supplied by Subaru in October.
It stated that tests affirmed that the company’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) “were capable of teaming with a manned aircraft and autonomously flying in a formation of up to five aircraft while subordinated to the leading [manned] aircraft.”
The announcement followed a presentation on the test results by the ASRC’s Aerodynamics & Flight Control Research Section at the 2025 ATLA Technology Symposium on November 12.
This revealed that designated tasks including simulated aerial interception exercises had been completed on schedule, with the agency currently assessing test data on controller efficiency/workload and the effectiveness of the system’s automated flight path generation technology.
According to ATLA, the test, which was carried out at the Taiki Aerospace Research Field in Hokkaido, involved a manned helicopter as a flying test bed (FTB), and eight medium-sized prototype drones, with a maximum of five operating in tandom.
Pilot control was performed through voice commands via a headset, while drone monitoring was achieved through the use of an augmented reality (AR) visor.
Both of these technologies, which had been introduced during testing to optimise pilot workload reduction, were linked to a cockpit mounted tablet (the primary interface unit).
The presentation further emphasised the contribution to reducing pilot workload of the system’s flight generation technology, which automatically generates a selection of flight paths towards a determined waypoint or objective and selects an optimal route that avoids obstacles.
Pilot burden is predicted to be further reduced in future tests through the implementation of AI.
In 2024, a report from ATLA’s Aerial Systems Development Division title ‘Efforts towards implementing AI in combat support drones’ revealed a roadmap for using advanced AI in aerial combat support MUM-T systems, including the production of a research prototype (2023-2025) and flight tests (2026-2017), with a maiden flight scheduled in late 2025.
The October tests follow Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) efforts to rapidly introduce AI-driven MUM-T technology, with a focus on extending the capabilities and survivability of the next-generation fighter currently being developed under the Japan/United Kingdom/Italy-led Global Combat Air Programme.
Plans for combining drones with aircraft were raised in the MoD’s 2022 Defence Capability Development Plan, which called for “strengthening the integration of manned aircraft and UAVs” and “promoting research and development on teaming combat support UAVs with manned aircraft including the [GCAP’s] next-generation fighter.”
Subsequently, a project for developing the latter – titled ‘Research on the next generation fighter and teamed UAVs’ - was presented in a submission by ATLA’s Project Management Division (GCAP) in the MoD’s 2025 Policy Evaluation Report.
A central rationale for the project cited in the submission, is the need to overcome the Japanese Air Self Defense Force’s (JASDF) numerical disadvantage relative to “neighbouring countries” forces through using a combination of advanced AI and MUM-T technology.
It is hoped that this will “limit personnel losses and attrition” – particularly in combat scenarios “where the risk of being shot down is high” or pilots faced austere “physiological barriers.”
The submission requested a 2026 budget of 4.9 billion yen (approx. A $48 million) for research and design work.
The submission, which aims to advance the integration of MUM-T capabilities when the new fighters are forecast to enter service in 2035, also claimed that both the budget and procurement timeframes would be minimised by pursuing technological cooperation with international security partners and “pro-actively utilising civilian sector cutting-edge technologies.”
In addition to aerial drones, the 2025 Policy Evaluation Report also featured a submission from ATLA’s Technology Planning Division for an 8.7 billion yen (AUD $85 million) budget for “Research on a UAV-teamed, AI driven offroad unmanned ground vehicle (UGV)” capable for performing long range transport, reconnaissance and attack support roles.
Key features of the project, which proposed extensive cooperation with US developers, include enhanced autonomy and improved labor and manpower efficiency by enabling single operators to operate a large number of units, and reducing processing loads through efficient AI algorithms.