By akademiotoelektronik, 05/04/2023

Australian Army and Boeing test groundbreaking fighter jet

Air warfare can now be won from the ground. As surprising as it may seem, this follows the announcement of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) which, in collaboration with the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, carried out, on March 2, the first flight test of an unmanned fighter plane.

Baptized "Loyal Wingman", the device with a length of nearly 12 meters can carry weapons but also fly in a squadron to protect other "manned" fighter planes. It is an artificial intelligence integrated into the plane that makes it possible to carry out the maneuvers, and this more quickly than the devices piloted by humans.

Limiting human losses

This new aircraft comes in addition to military drones, which remain vulnerable devices, and it could greatly limit the human losses linked to combat in the air.

RAAF Vice Marshal Catherine Roberts welcomed this "major step in this long-term project for the Air Force". The Australian Army also highlighted Loyal Wingman as a "pioneer in the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to create intelligent human-machine teams".

Besides being the first Australian-designed fighter jet in 50 years, the unmanned craft is also the first built by Boeing outside the United States.

Despite the RAAF's full support for the project, this groundbreaking aircraft has yet to secure formal orders from other armies. The first successful flight of the "Loyal Wingman" comes as the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing is bearing the brunt of the consequences of incidents related to its 737 Max and 777.