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Feature Story
Loyal Wingman to take

Australia’s air power into

the next era

One of the hottest debates among And with its first flight slated for 2020, electronic warfare (EW), and has an
airpower analysts is the role of this is a capability that is not way off in internal weapons bay that eventually
unmanned systems in future air combat. the future with decades-long acquisition could be armed with standoff weapons
Australia may have just staked a lead cycles. With Loyal Wingman, the aim and precision bombs.
in capability development of unmanned is to produce an operational capability It will be able to fly autonomously,
systems with the unveiling of the locally quickly—within the next few years. rather than being remotely piloted, which
designed and built ‘Loyal Wingman’ Let’s start with what the platform is vital. Exploiting trusted autonomy with
unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) is and why it’s important. The Loyal the human ‘on the loop’ in an oversight
that is at the core of the Boeing Air Wingman is designed to act as a force role, rather than directly controlling the
Teaming System. The Loyal Wingman multiplier for manned fighters like the UCAV in every aspect of its mission
was unveiled in front of Defence F-35A, F/A-18F Super Hornet and E/A- ‘in the loop’, is a much more sensible
Minister Christopher Pyne at the 2019 18G Growler, and larger manned aircraft approach to this sort of capability.
Avalon Airshow and Defence Expo last like the E-7A Wedgetail or KC-30A The Loyal Wingman can extend
week. refueller. Its primary role is projecting Australia’s air defence envelope much
Although it’s a Boeing platform, power forward, while keeping manned further north than would be possible
it will be designed and built entirely platforms out of harm’s way. It also using the F-35 alone. Imagine a swarm
in Australia. That has some pretty seeks to protect ‘combat enablers’ like of Loyal Wingman UCAVs controlled
significant implications for the future of the Wedgetail from an adversary’s long- by a four-ship formation of F-35s
Australia’s defence industry. It drives range offensive counter-air capability. undertaking defensive counter-air tasks
home the point that there’s more to this Although the planned aircraft is over the sea–air gap. The less stealthy
realm than just naval shipbuilding. It’s relatively small, according to Boeing UCAVs would be geographically located
also a capability that is being planned it will have a range of more than well away from the stealthy F-35s
with an export market in mind, to Five 3,700 kilometres. That’s sufficient to to avoid betraying their location, but
Eyes partners, and beyond. Australia operate over the South China Sea flying close by in terms of being part of a
will be able to position itself as a from RAAF Tindal near Darwin. It will resilient network. The F-35s in turn are
leading defence exporter of this type carry integrated sensor packages to networked to a Wedgetail to the rear.
of capability as a result of the Loyal support intelligence, surveillance and The UCAVs are the forward sensor
Wingman project. reconnaissance (ISR) missions and in the ‘sensor to shooter’ link, but can

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