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| The Wingman drones will be used as affordable 'force multipliers' that will be under the control of a pilot in a nearby manned aircraft - Airbus |
Airbus has unveiled a new unmanned combat jet that will be capable of acting as a “loyal wingman” for RAF pilots flying Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
The European aerospace giant unveiled the sleek-looking
concept drone at the Berlin International Airshow, where defence companies are
this week showing off their latest wares.
On the tarmac at the event, the company is exhibiting a 1:1
scale “show car” version of the machine.
According to Airbus, the Wingman drones will be used as
affordable “force multipliers” that will be under the control of a pilot in a
nearby manned aircraft.
Their tasks could include carrying out reconnaissance,
jamming targets and attacking ground or airborne targets with precision guided
weapons, allowing them to take on high-risk missions that would pose a danger
to humans.
However, the company stressed that the pilots commanding the
machines would always act as “the final decision-making authority”.
Airbus said it is working to have the Wingman operational by
the early 2030s, with the company currently exploring the concept with the
German air force.
However, the drone is being designed to be compatible with
manned Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets which are currently used by the UK,
German, Italian and Spanish air forces.
It is thought that the drones will potentially be compatible
with the RAF’s Typhoons as well, a decision on whether to acquire that
capability would fall to the Ministry of Defence.
Airbus said talks were ongoing with Germany and Spain about
possible purchases, adding: “We cannot comment on whether the UK might, or
might not be interested.”
A spokesman said: “The Wingman project is Airbus’s concept
of a next-generation, high-performance, autonomous, collaborative platform.
“It is currently a self-funded Airbus effort to pioneer the
technologies that could enable the entry-into-service of such a capability in
the early 2030 timeframe, in order to initially operate alongside
current-generation fighter aircraft (e.g. Eurofighter).”
Michael Schoellhorn, the chief executive of Airbus Defence
and Space, said: “The German air force has expressed a clear need for an
unmanned aircraft flying with and supporting missions of its manned fighter
jets before the Future Combat Air System will be operational.
“Wingman concept is the answer. We will further drive and
fine-tune this innovation made in Germany so that ultimately we can offer the
German air force an affordable solution with the performance it needs to
maximise the effects and multiply the power of its fighter fleet for the
2030s.”
Airbus said the drone was designed for “increasing the
overall combat mass in an affordable manner so that air forces can match the
number of opposing forces in peers or near-peers in conflicts”.
The machine is one of several unmanned aircraft being
developed by defence companies around the world, as militaries look for ways to
bulk up their forces with nimbler, more affordable vehicles that can complement
more expensive and advanced platforms such as F-35 stealth jets.
For example, Boeing is currently working to develop the
unmanned “Ghost Bat” for the Royal Australian air force, while the US air force
has been trialling the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth jet drone.
Britain was also at one stage developing its own loyal
wingman, with the Royal Air Force testing the unmanned Spirit Mosquito unmanned
fighter.
However, the programme was scrapped in 2022 with air force
chiefs saying they intended to pursue “smaller, less costly, but still highly
capable additive capabilities”. Reuters