Loyal wingman

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Loyal Wingman is the name for a concept of the USAF , which provides for the use of manned fighter aircraft as command aircraft together with unmanned combat aircraft ( UCAV ). With Wingman you originally referred to an aircraft which is offset to the rear side and slightly flies next to the leading aircraft in a formation and this provides support in a hostile environment.

definition

The Loyal Wingman Concept is classified under the task of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). As part of the concept, unmanned combat-ready aircraft (UCAV) are being developed in which steal properties are to be combined with the capabilities of a fighter aircraft. These aircraft are said to be cheap to produce, procure and operate and to increase the effectiveness of the air force. The concept provides that UCAVs support the pilots of the fighter aircraft autonomously during combat operations. The unmanned aerial vehicles are supposed to cover a wide range of tasks in that they independently carry out aerial battles, provide close air support, take on escort tasks, be used for tasks in electronic warfare , target marking and for the performance of ISTAR tasks (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) can.

In general, the probability of losing a manned aircraft should be reduced when using the concept.

Development status (2020)

As early as 2016, Kratos demonstrated the formation flight capability of two UTAP-22 Mako with an AV-8B Harrier II of the US Marine Corps . In April 2017, DARPA , the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) carried out a two-week concept demonstration under the name Have Raider at Edwards AFB with the help of other test facilities . Have Raider I demonstrated the ability for an unmanned, experimental F-16 to exit its command aircraft, conduct a ground attack, and then return. Both aircraft used their automatic anti-collision systems. Have Raider II demonstrated that an unmanned F-16 fully equipped for combat operations can be used autonomously under dynamically changing boundary conditions.

Larger UCAVs under development that are to be used for use in the Loyal Wingman concept are the relatively well-developed Kratos XQ-58A and the Boeing ATS (Airpower Teaming System). These are at the upper end of the cost spectrum and should be returned to their own airspace after a mission by the manned aircraft. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is coordinating the development of these patterns as part of its Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) program. The AFRL itself is working on a program called Skyborg , in which the integration of elements of artificial intelligence is in the foreground. The development takes place in cooperation with the 412th Test Wing stationed at Edwards AFB .

However, smaller UCAV versions are also planned, which are cheaper to manufacture and which can also be "consumed" in use. In addition, they have the advantage of being able to take off from larger aircraft. For example, they could be dropped off the loading ramp of an Airbus A400M or a Boeing C-17 in order to be linked to the aircraft they are supposed to support. Typically, a larger number of UCAVs should be used in swarms at the same time. One example of this is the X-61A Gremlin , which, according to DARPA, should be designed so that the airframe only needs to be replaced after 20 missions.

As part of the Jericho plan of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), it is developing the Airpower Teaming System (ATS) together with Boeing , which was shown for the first time at the Avalon Air Show in February 2019 . The Boeing ATS is slightly larger than the XQ-58A and is to be equipped with a flight control system that relies primarily on artificial intelligence or on commands from the manned aircraft during combat operations. The first flight should take place in 2020.

The British Ministry of Defense also announced the tender for a UCAV of the Loyal Wingman type under the project name Mosquito at the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2019 . However, this should be made smaller than the American UCAVs and strengthen the Typhoon and F-35B units. The testing should be the - currently still deactivated - No. 216 Sqn of the RAF perform.

In Russia, the Sukhoi S-70 Ochotnik-B , a similar development to the RSK MiG-Skat , is intended to be the unmanned companion of the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon . After the first flight in August 2019, the first test flights took place together with the Su-57.

literature

  • Khalem Chapman: Loyal Wingman - A perfect partnership? . In: AIR International January 2020, pp. 66–73
  • Nigel Pittaway: Loyal Wingman . In: AIR International April 2019, p. 12 f.
  • Scott Wolff: Loyal Wingman - The Future of Air Combat . In: Combat Aircraft February 2019, p. 18 f.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Unmanned Military Case Study-Have Raider Demo. In: lockheedmartin.com. Lockheed Martin, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  2. ↑ US Air Force, Lockheed Martin Demonstrate Manned / Unmanned Teaming. In: news.lockheedmartin.com. April 10, 2017, Retrieved February 2, 2020 (American English, Have Raider II).
  3. ↑ Development history of the XQ-58A on globalsecurity.org, accessed on January 24, 2020
  4. ↑ Information on the Skyborg project , accessed on January 24, 2020
  5. ↑ Boeing ATS on Flugrevue.de, accessed on January 24, 2020