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A wingman is the pilot of a secondary aircraft providing support or protection to a primary aircraft in a potentially dangerous situation, traditionally flying in formation to the side and slightly behind the primary craft. The term is sometimes used in reference to the secondary aircraft itself, particularly when it is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) rather than human-piloted plane.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc, headquartered in San Diego, California, is an American technology company specializing in directed-energy weapons, unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, training and combat systems. Customers include the U.S. federal government, foreign governments, commercial enterprises and state and local government agencies. Kratos is organized into six major divisions: Defense and Rocket Support Services, Microwaves Electronics, Modular Systems, Public Safety and Security, Technology and Training, and Unmanned Systems.
The Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon is a high-altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from the People's Republic of China. The design uses a unique joined-wing design.
The AVIC Dark Sword is a stealthy supersonic unmanned combat aerial vehicle from the People's Republic of China. It is being developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute for the air superiority or deep strike roles. Use as an autonomous wingman for manned aircraft may also be a goal.
The Composite Engineering BQM-167 Skeeter is a subscale aerial target (drone) developed and manufactured by Composite Engineering Inc. and operated by the United States Air Force and certain international customer air forces. It replaced the Beechcraft MQM-107 Streaker.
The Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) designed and built by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions for the United States Air Force's Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program, under the USAF Research Laboratory’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) project portfolio. It was initially designated the XQ-222. The Valkyrie completed its first flight on 5 March 2019 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
The Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, also referred to as Hunter-B, is a Russian stealth heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG as a sixth-generation aircraft project. The drone is based on the earlier Mikoyan Skat, designed by MiG, and encompassing some technologies of the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. In the future, it is planned to act under the control of pilots of Su-57 jets, similarly to the USAF Skyborg programme.
The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a Loyal Wingman class stealth, multirole, unmanned aerial vehicle in development by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is designed as a force multiplier aircraft capable of flying alongside manned aircraft for support and performing autonomous missions independently using artificial intelligence.
The Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed in the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army. It was designed by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), with the latter being the manufacturer. The GJ-11 may also perform aerial reconnaissance.
The Skyborg project is a United States Air Force Vanguard program developing unmanned combat aerial vehicles intended to accompany a manned fighter aircraft. As of 2020, contracts have been awarded to Boeing, General Atomics, Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems and Northrop Grumman.
The Spirit Mosquito was an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator in development by Team Mosquito in the United Kingdom. In January 2021, the aircraft was chosen as a technology demonstrator for the Royal Air Force's Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) concept which was first conceptualised in 2015 by the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office.
The HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is an Indian unmanned and manned combat aircraft air teaming system being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The system will consist of a manned fighter aircraft acting as "mothership" of the system and a set of swarming UAVs and UCAVs governed by the mothership aircraft. A twin-seated HAL Tejas is likely to be the mothership aircraft. Various other sub components of the system are currently under development and will be jointly produced by HAL, National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Newspace Research & Technologies.
CATS Warrior is a part of the HAL Combat Air Teaming System program. Its work is believed to have started in early 2019 under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the state owned HAL and an Indian private startup Newspace R&D. HAL has done an initial investment of ₹400 crore in CATS Warriors & in Aero India 2021 a full-scale mock-up model was presented for the first time.
The Baykar Bayraktar Kızılelma is a single-engine, low-observable, carrier-capable, jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle, currently in development by Turkish defense company Baykar. The aircraft is being developed as part of Project MIUS. The first version of Bayraktar Kızılelma (Kızılelma-A) is subsonic. Both future versions of Bayraktar Kızılelma will be supersonic, the latter having a twin engine configuration.
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), is a US program for unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) and considered broadly equivalent to loyal wingman. CCAs are intended to operate in collaborative teams with the next generation of manned combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and bombers such as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. Unlike the conventional UCAVs, the CCA incorporates artificial intelligence (AI), denoted an "autonomy package", and is capable of surviving on the battlefield. It is still expected to be much lower-cost than a manned aircraft with similar capabilities. The US Air Force plans to spend more than $6 billion on its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programs over the next five years (2023 to 2028). The success of the CCA program could lessen the need for additional manned squadrons.
The Feihong FH-97A is a prototype AI piloted unmanned combat aerial vehicle. It was developed as a loyal wingman drone, designed to fly along the J-20 fighter and suppress air defenses with electronic countermeasures, fly ahead to provide early warning, and absorb damage from attacks, as well as evaluating damage and conducting reconnaissance. It can also carry an array of munitions and use rocket boosters to takeoff without a runway. The FH-97A was developed by the Aerospace Times Feihong Technology Corporation and unveiled to the public in 2022 at the biennial China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China.
The CASC CH-901 is a loitering munition developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) in 2016. The drone can be deployed in several ways; it can be carried by soldiers in the field and launched out of a tube, as well as from vehicles, aircraft, and UCAVs. In 2020 China unveiled a truck fitted with 48 launch tubes for CH-901 loitering munitions.
A loyal wingman is a proposed type of unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) which incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and is capable of collaborating with the next generation of manned combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and bombers such as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. Also unlike the conventional UCAV, the loyal wingman is expected to be capable of surviving on the battlefield but to be significantly lower-cost than a manned aircraft with similar capabilities. In the US, the concept is known as the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).
References
- ↑ Kirton, David (2021-09-29). "China unveils 'loyal wingman' armed drone concept". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ↑ "FH-97 loyal wingman concept unveiled at Airshow China 2021". www.airrecognition.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ↑ "China reveals drone concept similar to US-made Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie". ARY NEWS. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ↑ Rogoway, Thomas Newdick and Tyler (2021-09-29). "China Is Cloning Kratos' XQ-58A Valkyrie Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Concept (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 2023-02-08.