Drone swarm added to arms race
Australia has unveiled an artificially intelligent drone designed to operate in swarms to overwhelm enemy defences, as western nations seek to win the latest arms race with Russia and China.
The 11.5m-long Loyal Wingman, the first military aircraft developed in the country for 50 years, has been designed to act as a ‘‘force multiplier’’ for manned aircraft, operating as escorts with ‘‘fighter-like performance’’ in groups of up to 16 to run reconnaissance, electronic warfare or decoy missions.
With an appearance similar to the sleek lines of the new generation F-35 stealth fighter, the drone is expected to demonstrate its flying abilities to the public at the Avalon air show near Melbourne next year.
Boeing, its US maker, describes the new system as being several generations ahead of present drones. The Loyal Wingman does not require a remote human pilot, unlike the Reapers and Predators now in use. Instead, it will be guided by artificial intelligence and ‘‘directed in more of a point-andclick screen interface’’ by a human remotely, according to the War Zone website. The drone would have a range of about 3700km, about twice that of an F-35. The company has not specified if the Loyal Wingman can be fitted with offensive weapons such as missiles and cannon. The United States, Australia’s key ally, has so far resisted calls in the United Nations to outlaw lethal autonomous weapons systems.
Russia, which also opposes a new treaty limiting their use, announced its own plans for autonomous attack drones last year, although the designs are so far only conceptual. China was criticised by the US last year for its development of small autonomous weapons such as Ziyan Blowfish A2, a small helicopter UAV that its manufacturer claims can perform autonomous targeted strikes.
Boeing said the Loyal Wingman offered the potential to drastically expand the size of an air force at a fraction of the cost of acquiring manned aircraft, and could protect pilots by taking over the riskiest parts of some missions.
War Zone said the new unmanned aircraft had the potential to alter the future of air power both in the US and in many allied countries around the globe.
‘‘Swarms by their very nature are inherently threatening to enemy air defences, overwhelming sensors and their operators with too many targets to properly prioritise and with reaction times and co-ordinated assaults that are beyond the abilities of human aircrews,’’ it said. When equipped with electronic or cyberwarfare packages the drones could further disrupt or confuse an opponent’s defensive networks.
The Loyal Wingman is due for flight tests this year, and will be ready for production in the mid2020s. It is being developed by Boeing under its own Airpower Teaming System project, with a Adollars 40 million defence initiative by the Royal Australian Air Force.