Airbus has unveiled the concept of an unmanned stealth drone that will assist fighter pilots during armed air combat. A full-scale model of the prototype aircraft, called Wingman, will be unveiled at the ILA international aerospace exhibition in Berlin this week.
Unlike the nimble drones that have become ubiquitous on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Wingman is about the size of a fighter jet. The drone will be able to do everything a manned fighter jet can do, but without risking human life. This means it can be sent on more dangerous missions.
Airbus says that Wingman’s tasks will range from reconnaissance and target interference to shooting at enemies on the ground or in the air. Although the drone will be unmanned, a human pilot will always have full control over his assistant machine.
While the project is still in its early stages, Airbus suggests that Wingman could be used in conjunction with Germany’s 4th generation Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
«The German Air Force has expressed a clear need for an unmanned aircraft to fly alongside its manned fighter jets,» said Michael Scholhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space. «Our Wingman concept is the answer».
Europe is currently working on the so-called Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which is intended to replace current air defense technologies. The proposal includes a new weapon system, a sixth-generation fighter to replace the Eurofighter, and remotely piloted carrier drones. Airbus is developing FCAS together with French Dassault Aviation and Spanish Indra Sistemas. The partners plan to put the system into service by 2045.
At the moment, Wingman is limited to a bunch of pretty 3D renders and a demonstration model — it is unknown whether it will ever take to the skies. What is certain, however, is that the battlefield of the future will have fewer people and more machines.
Source: thenextweb