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 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 manned 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 manned 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.
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]
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. [20]
Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) is the official USAF designation for an AI combat drone, and is broadly equivalent to the loyal wingman. [21]
The USAF Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was initiated in 2014. It includes the development of CCA. [22] [23] Up to five autonomous CCAs could operate with a manned fighter. [24]
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), [25] and DARPA will test its Air Combat Evolution (ACE) artificial intelligence program. [6] [26] The System for Autonomous Control of Simulation (SACS) software for human interface is being developed by Calspan. [26]
In 2020, DARPA AlphaDogfight predicted that AI programs that fly fighter aircraft will overmatch human pilots. [27] [28]
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. [25]
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. [29]
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). [30] [31]
A typical CCA is estimated to cost between one-half and one-quarter as much as an $80 million F-35. [32] US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is aiming for an initial fleet of 1,000 CCAs. [33]
Several loyal wingman aircraft are or have been under development.
Examples include:
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
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, while Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden have joined together in collaborative multinational programs in an effort to spread development costs. The first sixth-generation fighters are expected to enter service in the 2030s.
F/A-XX is a development and acquisition program for a future sixth-generation air superiority fighter to replace the United States Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and complement the F-35C beginning in the 2030s. A requirement was first identified in June 2008.
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 BAE Systems Tempest is a proposed sixth-generation fighter aircraft that is under development in the United Kingdom for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft is intended to enter service from 2035, gradually replacing the Eurofighter Typhoon. It is being developed as part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme by a consortium known as Team Tempest, which includes the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, and MBDA UK. £2 billion is planned to be spent by the British government on the initial phase of the project up to 2025.
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 Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat, previously known as the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), is a Loyal Wingman class stealth, multirole, unmanned combat 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 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).
Shield AI is an American aerospace and defense technology company based in San Diego, California. It develops artificial intelligence-powered fighter pilots, drones, and technology for defense 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 $6 billion on its CCA programs from 2023 to 2028. 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.