These New Armed Wingman Drones Could "Well Decide a Future War"
Published at : October 28, 2021
These New Armed Wingman Drones Could "Well Decide a Future War"
The Loyal Wingman is an unmanned aircraft which incorporates artificial intelligence and utilises a modular mission package system in the nose where the entire nose of the aircraft can be removed and quickly swapped for another nose with a different set of equipment or armaments for various missions including combat, force reconnaissance and electronic warfare. One role will be to support manned Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, such as the F-35A, F/A-18F, and E-7A with the purpose of defence and surveillance. The UAV will be designed to act as a "loyal wingman" that is controlled by a parent aircraft to accomplish tasks such as scouting or absorbing enemy fire if attacked as well as operating independently.
The aircraft will be the first combat aircraft designed and developed in Australia in over half a century. Boeing has said that it will "depend on the market" whether the aircraft is manufactured in Queensland or the United States. Boeing has confirmed that Queensland will house the final assembly facility.
The Royal Australian Air Force initially planned to buy three Airpower Teaming System (ATS) systems, as part of the Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program (LWADP). The three drones were built at an automated production line in Brisbane, Queensland. The production line is a proof of concept for full scale production. The order was increased to six with an A$115M contract days after the first flight.
The Loyal Wingman is an unmanned aircraft which incorporates artificial intelligence and utilises a modular mission package system in the nose where the entire nose of the aircraft can be removed and quickly swapped for another nose with a different set of equipment or armaments for various missions including combat, force reconnaissance and electronic warfare. One role will be to support manned Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, such as the F-35A, F/A-18F, and E-7A with the purpose of defence and surveillance. The UAV will be designed to act as a "loyal wingman" that is controlled by a parent aircraft to accomplish tasks such as scouting or absorbing enemy fire if attacked as well as operating independently.
The aircraft will be the first combat aircraft designed and developed in Australia in over half a century. Boeing has said that it will "depend on the market" whether the aircraft is manufactured in Queensland or the United States. Boeing has confirmed that Queensland will house the final assembly facility.
The Royal Australian Air Force initially planned to buy three Airpower Teaming System (ATS) systems, as part of the Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program (LWADP). The three drones were built at an automated production line in Brisbane, Queensland. The production line is a proof of concept for full scale production. The order was increased to six with an A$115M contract days after the first flight.
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