It has been suggested that Collaborative combat aircraft be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2024. |
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 crewed combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and bombers such as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. Also unlike the conventional UCAV, the loyal wingman[sic] is expected to be capable of surviving on the battlefield but to be significantly lower-cost than a crewed aircraft with similar capabilities. In the US, the concept is known as the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).
The loyal wingman is a military drone with an onboard AI control system and capability to carry and deliver a significant military weapons load. The AI system is envisaged as being significantly lighter and lower-cost than a human pilot with their associated life support systems, but to offer comparable capability in flying the aircraft and in mission execution. [1]
Some concepts are based on a standardised aircraft deployed in two variants; one as a sixth-generation fighter with a human pilot and/or battle commander in the cockpit, and the other as a loyal wingman with an AI system substituted in the same location. BAE Systems envisage the Tempest to be capable of operating in either configuration. [2]
Another concept is to develop a shorter-range, and hence smaller and cheaper, wingman to be carried by the manned parent aircraft and air-launched when needed. The drone in turn carries its own munitions. This reduces the overall cost while maintaining protection for the crewed aircraft on the battlefield.
The principal application is to elevate the role of human pilots to mission commanders, leaving AIs as "loyal wingmen" to operate under their tactical control as high-skill operators of relatively low-cost robotic craft. [3] [4] [5]
Loyal wingmen can perform other missions as well, as "a sensor, as a shooter, as a weapons carrier, as a cost reducer". [6] [7]
A loyal wingman is expected to cost significantly less than a crewed fighter, and will typically be considered vulnerable to attrition. [8] It would have sufficient intelligence and onboard defence systems to survive on the battlefield. The United States Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has described them as remotely controlled versions of targeting pods, electronic warfare pods or weapons carriers to provide additional sensors and munitions; to balance affordability and capability. [9] [10]
The concept of the loyal wingman arose in the early 2000s and, since then, countries such as Australia, China, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US have been researching and developing the necessary design criteria and technologies. [1]
Boeing Australia is leading development of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat loyal wingman for the RAAF, with BAE Systems Australia providing much of the avionics. [11] The MQ-28 was first flown in 2021 and since then, at least 8 aircraft have been built.
China has been studying the loyal wingman concept since at least 2019 and has shown off some concept airframes. However, although China already manufactures drones and has well-developed swarming technology, the planned level of autonomy or even AI for these systems are not known. [12] [13]
European aerospace manufacturer Airbus has proposed the Airbus wingman which is a loyal wingman aircraft. The aircraft would be an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) which would accompany a Eurofighter Typhoon or other combat aircraft as a force multiplier. [14]
The HAL CATS Warrior is an AI-enabled wingman drone under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for the proposed Combat Air Teaming System (CATS).
Japan announced a development programme for a loyal wingman drone in 2021, issuing the first round of funding in 2022. [15] [16] The drone is intended to be carried for deployment by a proposed F-X fighter, also under development. [17]
Russian projects for wingman-class drones are thought to include the Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik and the Kronshtadt Grom. However, although Russia already manufactured drones, the planned level of autonomy or even AI for these systems are not known. [18] [19]
In addition to the production of the new generation fighter, KF-21, South Korea plans to develop several types of UCAVs as wingmen to team up with the manned fighter. [20] [21]
The RAF in the UK has been developing the Loyal Wingman concept since 2015, with the Spirit Mosquito technology demonstrator flying in 2020. Programme funding was cancelled in June 2022 because the Ministry of Defence felt that it was better spent on less ambitious advances. [22]
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) is the official USAF designation for an AI combat drone, and is broadly equivalent to the loyal wingman. [23]
The USAF Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was initiated in 2014. It includes the development of CCA. [24] [25] Up to five autonomous CCAs could operate with a manned fighter. [26]
The Skyborg programme, going back at least to 2019, is developing the systems to operate wingman drones alongside advanced manned fighters. Of four contenders, the most public is the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) will test their Skyborg manned-unmanned programs such as Autonomous Air Combat Operations (AACO), [27] and DARPA will test its Air Combat Evolution (ACE) artificial intelligence program. [6] [28] The System for Autonomous Control of Simulation (SACS) software for human interface is being developed by Calspan. [28]
In 2020, DARPA AlphaDogfight predicted that AI programs that fly fighter aircraft will overmatch human pilots. [29] [30]
Two alternative autonomous AI systems have been installed in a General Dynamics X-62 VISTA at the Air Force Test Pilot School. The two systems flew the aircraft in turn, on 9 December 2022. By 16 December 2022 the X-62 Vista had flown eight sorties using ACE, and six sorties using AACO, at a rate of two sorties per day. [27]
The General Atomics Longshot is intended to be carried for deployment by the manned aircraft, and is air-launched when needed. This allows a shorter range for the drone, while maintaining advanced protection for the manned aircraft. DARPA adopted the General Dynamics design for its Longshot programme in 2022. [31]
In 2022 Heather Penney identified five key elements for the proactive development of autonomous CCA, remote pilots of UAVs and pilots flying separately in manned aircraft (also called crewed-uncrewed teaming, or manned-unmanned teaming). [32] [33]
A typical CCA is estimated to cost between one-half and one-quarter as much as an $80 million F-35. [34] US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is aiming for an initial fleet of 1,000 CCAs. [35]
Several loyal wingman aircraft are or have been under development.
Examples include:
Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems, or J-UCAS, was the name for the joint U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force unmanned combat air vehicle procurement project. Originally two separate projects of the U.S. Air Force and Navy respectively: UCAV and UCAV-N; both programs merged in 2003. The two vehicles involved in J-UCAS were the Boeing X-45 and Northrop Grumman X-47A Pegasus, originally part of UCAV and UCAV-N respectively. J-UCAS was managed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, it was stated that the J-UCAS program would be terminated and instead a new long-range strategic bomber program, Next-Generation Bomber, for the Air Force would launch. The program was revitalized into a Navy-only program named UCAS-D.
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.
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.
The General Dynamics X-62 VISTA is an experimental aircraft, derived from the F-16D Fighting Falcon, which was modified as a joint venture between General Dynamics and Calspan for use by the United States Air Force (USAF). Originally designated NF-16D, the aircraft was redesignated X-62A in June 2021 as part of an upgrade to a Skyborg, with System for Autonomous Control of Simulation (SACS).
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 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 Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an experimental stealth 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 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.
Overmatch is a concept in modern military thinking which prizes having overwhelming advantages over an adversary to a more significant margin than in traditional warfare. It is related to military superiority. Overmatch uses a military force's "capabilities or unique tactics" to compel the opposing forces to stop using their own equipment or tactics, as doing so would lead to their own defeat or destruction. By fielding the right mix of capabilities, the commander can present multiple dilemmas to the enemy, thus compelling the enemy to withdraw.
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 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.
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is a United States Air Force (USAF) sixth-generation air superiority initiative with a goal of fielding a "family of systems" that is to succeed the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. A crewed fighter aircraft is the centerpiece program of NGAD and has been referred to as the Penetrating Counter-Air (PCA) platform and is to be supported by uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), or loyal wingman platforms, through manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T).
The Bayraktar Kızılelma is a single-engine, low-observable, carrier-capable, jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), currently in development by Turkish defense company Baykar. The aircraft is being developed as part of Project MIUS. The initial Bayraktar Kızılelma (Kızılelma-A) is subsonic. Planned variants are intended to be supersonic, the latter having a twin-engined configuration. It is one of the two Turkish jet-powered stealth UCAV along with TAI Anka-3.
Shield AI is an American aerospace and arms technology company based in San Diego, California. It develops artificial intelligence-powered fighter pilots, drones, and technology for military operations. Its clients include the United States Special Operations Command, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy and several international militaries.
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-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 up to 8 air-to-air missiles or loitering 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 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.