AEROSPACE experts have created a spooky unmanned stealth drone dubbed Wingman for wartime spy missions.
Supported by AI, the Wingman will take on dangerous tasks including blowing up enemy targets with guided missiles.
Airbus has unveiled its new Wingman concept at the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA in Berlin.
The Wingman’s tasks can range from reconnaissance to jamming targets.
It can also destroy targets on the ground or in the air with precision guided munitions or missiles.
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However, pilots in manned aircraft acting as “command fighters” will always have control of the mission, said Airbus.
The firm's defence and space experts explained that it would be used as an unmanned escort for manned fighter jets.
FIGHTER DRONE
"In military aviation, a 'Wingman' is a pilot in another aircraft that protects and supports the flight lead," said Airbus, a European multinational aerospace corporation.
"In the Airbus concept, the Wingman is going to operate very much in the same way - only that it is neither a pilot nor a fighter jet flown by one.
"It is a fighter-type drone that will be commanded by a pilot in a current combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter [Typhoon jets which reinforce Nato air defences in the Baltic and Black Sea regions].
"And [it] can take on high-risk mission tasks that would pose a bigger threat to manned-only aircraft."
The state-of-the-art stealth fighter drone features low observability - so the enemy won't easily spot it.
It integrates various armaments, and has advanced sensors.
"The Wingman is intended to augment the capabilities of current manned combat aircraft with uncrewed platforms that can carry weapons," said Airbus.
“The German Air Force has expressed a clear need for an unmanned aircraft flying with and supporting missions of its manned fighter jets,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.
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“Our 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."
The Wingman takes over dangerous tasks, including target reconnaissance and destruction or electronic jamming and deception of enemy air defense systems.
Michael Schoellhorn
On Thursday at the trade show in Berlin, he referred to the brutal battle still raging in Ukraine.
"The current conflicts on Europe's borders show how important air superiority is," he said.
"Supported by AI, the Wingman takes over dangerous tasks, including target reconnaissance and destruction or electronic jamming and deception of enemy air defense systems."
Gundbert Scherf, co-CEO at Helsing, a new type of defence AI company, said artificial intelligence was a critical part of the new drone.
“From the processing of data from sensors... AI will be a critical component of the Wingman system for the German Air Force," he said.
Airbus and Helsing signed a framework cooperation agreement at the aerospace trade show.
