In what is likely to revolutionize aerial warfare in the 21st century, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) just received its first prototype of a jet-powered ‘Loyal Wingman’ drone. It is the first of three prototypes being produced as part of a unique cooperative effort between Boeing Australia and the RAAF.
China, take note – Australia is not only pursuing bleeding edge defense technology with the U.S., it is also building up its own defense industrial base.
This new drone is expected to fly for the first time later this year. The program furthers the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in U.S. and allied weapons production, such as the Golden Horde ‘thinking munition’ I recently described, that the U.S. Air Force is testing.
This concept is also superficially similar to the U.S. air Force’s XQ-58A Valkyrie, an unmanned and experimental combat aerial vehicle being developed by Kratos, I wrote about previously.
The unmanned Loyal Wingman drone is intended to augment and fly with existing manned combat aircraft. Once fully deployed, this drone will multiply the RAAF’s air combat capabilities at a fraction of the cost of adding more front-line manned fighter aircraft.
It will also serve as a test bed for U.S. and other allied air forces.
The former is especially critical to Australia which is dramatically beefing up its defense capabilities to face an increasingly bellicose China but need to get maximum bang for its buck. Beyond the cost factor, the concept notes The Drive, will additionally infuse “a whole new set of disruptive tactics into an air arm’s playbook.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, according to CNN, said the drones will protect the country’s pricier combat aircraft like F-35 stealth fighters and their pilots. It is also the first aircraft “to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years,” Boeing said in a statement.
The Loyal Wingman, says Boeing, as reported by CNN, will “use artificial intelligence to fly independently, or in support of manned aircraft, while maintaining safe distance between other aircraft.” The 38-foot-long drone has a range of 2,000 miles.
The drones will be able to engage in electronic warfare as well as intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions and swap quickly between those roles, according to Boeing.
The Drive explains that “Boeing sees the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and a certain level of autonomy to be key in really creating a revolutionary capability that can work as a huge force multiplier for existing manned combat aircraft.”
CNN quoted the previous chief of the RAAF, Air Marshal Leo Davies, as saying, “We need the flexibility and agility of the human meshed with the speed of a machine. When we put those together, we’ve got a quite amazing outcome.”
The next few months should show whether this revolutionary concept is ready for prime time. If proven, it should be fast tracked to quickly enter service with the RAAF, and then hopefully followed by the U.S. and other allied air forces.
When dealing with China, the more combat aircraft, and sooner, the better.
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The idea is great,,,the reason for it is nuts. We spend Billions on an aircraft (F-35) and now have to defend it with a Million dollar aircraft? Why don’t we just park the Billion dollar aircraft in a half mile deep bunker. F-35 should be able to defend itself for that kind of money.
My guess is that you have NEVER played chess! The board has l line of paws, two knights, tow castles, One Queen, and one King.
The object is not to sacrifice any pieces; however, if a piece is to be sacrificed, make it a pawn instead of the Queen!
lets wait and see, what it can do
Too bad when Douglas Mac Arthur who wanted to nuke north korea after the korean war and destroy these worthless communist bastards and be done with it, Truman said no. We could have gotten rid of a future world problem and the repercussions could have destroyed china in the process. Good riddance two enemies. Just look what being bleeding heart has gotten us. What has china done for the world or given other than its filth and disease (from bubonic plague, all the viruses, SARS, MERS and now corona virus) and CRAPPY products and foods unfit for human and animal consumption.