Boeing have unveiled an unmanned, fighter-like jet developed in Australia and designed to fly alongside crewed aircraft in combat for a fraction of the cost.
At the Avalon Airshow in Australia on 27 February, Boeing presented a model of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (BATS), an unmanned aerial system (UAS) specifically designed for air control missions, according to the company’s statement.
The U.S. manufacturer hopes to sell the multi-role aircraft, which is 38 feet long (11.6 metres) and has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704 kilometre) range, to customers around the world, modifying it as requested.
Australia’s Ministry of Defence will invest up to AUS$40m in developing the aircraft, which is scheduled to take its first flight in 2020.
The prototype is Australia’s first domestically developed combat aircraft since World War II and Boeing’s biggest investment in unmanned systems outside the United States.
The prototype, dubbed Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program, will feed into the production of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, a platform that represents the company’s largest investment in a new unmanned aircraft program outside the US. A model of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System was unveiled at the Australian International Airshow by Christopher Pyne, Australia’s minister for defense.
Measuring 11.7m in length and able to fly over 2,000 nautical miles, Boeing Airpower Teaming System’s suite of sensors will enable it to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and electronic warfare.
Boeing added that artificial intelligence will support independent flight, or support of manned aircraft, while maintaining safe distance between other aircraft.
“The Boeing Airpower Teaming System will provide a disruptive advantage for allied forces’ manned/unmanned missions,” stated Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Autonomous Systems, Kristin Robertson. “With its ability to reconfigure quickly and perform different types of missions in tandem with other aircraft, our newest addition to Boeing’s portfolio will truly be a force multiplier as it protects and projects air power.”
“Human performance factors are a major driver behind current aerial combat practices,” the policy paper said. “Humans can only pull a certain number of G’s, fly for a certain number of hours, or process a certain amount of information at a given time.”
BATS, for which the first flight is planned to take place in 2020, will:
Provide fighter-like performance, measuring 11.7m in length with a range of over 2,000 nmi;
Integrate sensors to support ISR and EW missions;
Use artificial intelligence to fly independently or in support of manned aircraft while maintaining safe distance between other aircraft.
The jet is powered by a derivative of a commercially available engine, uses standard runways for take-off and landing, and can be modified for carrier operations at sea, Robertson said. She declined to specify whether it could reach supersonic speeds, common for modern fighter aircraft.
Its first flight is expected in 2020, with Boeing and the Australian government producing a concept demonstrator to pave the way for full production.