Airbus has unveiled a new unmanned combat jet that will be capable of acting as a “loyal wingman” for RAF pilots flying Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
The European aerospace giant unveiled the sleek-looking concept drone at the Berlin International Airshow, where defence companies are this week showing off their latest wares.
On the tarmac at the event, the company is exhibiting a 1:1 scale “show car” version of the machine.
According to Airbus, the Wingman drones will be used as affordable “force multipliers” that will be under the control of a pilot in a nearby manned aircraft.
Their tasks could include carrying out reconnaissance, jamming targets and attacking ground or airborne targets with precision guided weapons, allowing them to take on high-risk missions that would pose a danger to humans.
However, the company stressed that the pilots commanding the machines would always act as “the final decision-making authority”.
Airbus said it is working to have the Wingman operational by the early 2030s, with the company currently exploring the concept with the German air force.
However, the drone is being designed to be compatible with manned Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets which are currently used by the UK, German, Italian and Spanish air forces.
It is thought that the drones will potentially be compatible with the RAF’s Typhoons as well, a decision on whether to acquire that capability would fall to the Ministry of Defence.
Airbus said talks were ongoing with Germany and Spain about possible purchases, adding: “We cannot comment on whether the UK might, or might not be interested.”
A spokesman said: “The Wingman project is Airbus’s concept of a next-generation, high-performance, autonomous, collaborative platform.
“It is currently a self-funded Airbus effort to pioneer the technologies that could enable the entry-into-service of such a capability in the early 2030 timeframe, in order to initially operate alongside current-generation fighter aircraft (e.g. Eurofighter).”
Michael Schoellhorn, the chief executive of Airbus Defence and Space, said: “The German air force has expressed a clear need for an unmanned aircraft flying with and supporting missions of its manned fighter jets before the Future Combat Air System will be operational.
“Wingman concept is the answer. We will further drive and fine-tune this innovation made in Germany so that ultimately we can offer the German air force an affordable solution with the performance it needs to maximise the effects and multiply the power of its fighter fleet for the 2030s.”
Airbus said the drone was designed for “increasing the overall combat mass in an affordable manner so that air forces can match the number of opposing forces in peers or near-peers in conflicts”.
The machine is one of several unmanned aircraft being developed by defence companies around the world, as militaries look for ways to bulk up their forces with nimbler, more affordable vehicles that can complement more expensive and advanced platforms such as F-35 stealth jets.
For example, Boeing is currently working to develop the unmanned “Ghost Bat” for the Royal Australian air force, while the US air force has been trialling the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth jet drone.
Britain was also at one stage developing its own loyal wingman, with the Royal Air Force testing the unmanned Spirit Mosquito unmanned fighter.
However, the programme was scrapped in 2022 with air force chiefs saying they intended to pursue “smaller, less costly, but still highly capable additive capabilities”.
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