An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircraft ordnance such as missiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and/or bombs in hardpoints for drone strikes. These drones are usually under real-time human control, with varying levels of autonomy. UCAVs are used for reconnaissance, attacking targets and returning to base; unlike kamikaze drones which are only made to explode on impact, or surveillance drones which are only for gathering intelligence.
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.
The Republic of China Air Force is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, based in Taiwan since 1947. The ROCAF was founded in 1920 by the Kuomintang. While its historical name is sometimes used especially in domestic circles, it is not used as often internationally due to the current ambiguous political status of Taiwan and to avoid confusion with the People's Liberation Army Air Force of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that designs and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles and radar systems for the U.S. military and commercial applications worldwide.
China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (中国国际航空航天博览会), also known as the Airshow China (中国航展) or Zhuhai Airshow (珠海航展), is a biannual aerospace trade expo held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province since 1996, and is the largest airshow in China.
A sixth-generation fighter is a conceptualized class of jet fighter aircraft design more advanced than the fifth-generation jet fighters that are currently in service and development. Several countries have announced the development of a national sixth-generation aircraft program, including the United States, Russia and China. Whilst other countries have joined collaborative multinational projects such as Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom with Global Combat Air Programme, and France, Germany and Spain with FCAS; in order to spread development and procurement costs. The first sixth-generation fighters are expected to enter service in the 2030s.
The Indian Air Force has been undergoing a modernization program to replace and upgrade outdated equipment since the late 1990s to meet modern standards. For that reason, it has started procuring and developing aircraft, weapons, associated technologies, and infrastructures. Some of these programs date back to the late 1980s. The primary focus of current modernization and upgrades is to replace aircraft purchased from the Soviet Union that currently form the backbone of the air force.
The Chengdu J-20, also known as Mighty Dragon, is a twin-engine all-weather stealth fighter developed by China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The J-20 is designed as an air superiority fighter with precision strike capability. The aircraft has three notable variants: the initial production model, the revised airframe variant with new engines and thrust-vectoring control, and the aircraft-teaming capable twin-seat variant.
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 Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B, also referred to as Hunter-B, is a Russian heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that was being developed during the 2010s by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG. Several prototypes underwent flight testing in 2019–2023 and, as of January 2024, it was projected that production could begin as early as the second half of 2024.
The Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a stealth, multirole, unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is designed as a force multiplier aircraft capable of flying alongside crewed aircraft for support as part of an integrated system including space-based capabilities, and performing autonomous missions independently using artificial intelligence.
The Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed in the People's Republic of China for the People's Liberation Army. It was designed by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (SYADI) and Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG) and is part of seven proposed models by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) program called "AVIC 601-S". The GJ-11 can perform precision strike and aerial reconnaissance missions.
The Albatross(Chinese: 銳鳶; pinyin: Ruì yuān,“Sharp Kite”), also known as the Chung Xiang II, is a medium unmanned aerial vehicle made by National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. It is in service with the Republic of China Navy.
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 Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (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.
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) is a US program for unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) that is considered broadly equivalent to a 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", increasing its survivability on the battlefield. It is still expected to cost much less than a manned aircraft with similar capabilities. The US Air Force plans to spend more than $8.9 billion on its CCA programs from fiscal years 2025 to 2029, with an additional $661 million planned for fiscal year 2024. The success of the CCA program may lessen the need for additional manned squadrons.
The Feihong FH-97 is a prototype unmanned combat aerial vehicle with stealth capabilities. It was developed as a "loyal wingman" drone, designed to suppress air defenses with electronic countermeasures, fly ahead of aircraft to provide early warning, and absorb damage from attacks, as well as providing reconnaissance and damage evaluation. The FH-97 can also deploy the FH-901 to strike maneuvering targets. It was developed by the Aerospace Times Feihong Technology Corporation under the Ninth Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, a Chinese state-owned defense and aerospace manufacturer. The FH-97 was first unveiled to the public in 2021 at the 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).
The Airbus Wingman is a loyal wingman aircraft in development by European aerospace manufacturer Airbus. The aircraft would be an unmanned fighter aircraft which would accompany a Eurofighter Typhoon or other combat aircraft as a force multiplier.
