The Airbus Wingman is a
loyal wingman
A loyal wingman is a proposed type of unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) which incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and is capable of collaborating with the next generation of manned combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and bo ...
aircraft in development by European aerospace manufacturer
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
. The aircraft would be an
unmanned
An uncrewed vehicle or unmanned vehicle is a vehicle without a person on board. Uncrewed vehicles can either be under telerobotic control—remote controlled or remote guided vehicles—or they can be autonomously controlled—autonomous vehicl ...
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
which would accompany a
Eurofighter Typhoon or other combat aircraft as a
force multiplier
In military science, force multiplication or a force multiplier is a factor or a combination of factors that gives personnel or weapons (or other hardware) the ability to accomplish greater feats than without it. The expected size increase requ ...
.
Development
A 1 to 1 scale "
show car" version of the Wingman was unveiled on at the 2024
ILA Berlin Air Show.
The Wingman is said to feature capabilities including
stealth
Stealth may refer to:
Military
*Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles
**Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology
**Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology
** Stea ...
and modern sensors,
and is designed to fulfill roles including
aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
,
radar jamming
Radar jamming and deception is a form of electronic countermeasures that intentionally sends out radio frequency signals to interfere with the operation of radar by saturating its receiver with noise or false information. Concepts that blanket the ...
,
air-to-air combat and
air-to-surface combat.
It will be piloted by
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
.
On , Airbus announced a partnership with European AI defense company Helsing to develop the Wingman's AI system.
The Wingman would be controlled by a commanding manned fighter, the initial aircraft proposed proposed for this role is the
Eurofighter Typhoon, though Airbus has left open the possibility that other fighters or aircraft could be adapted to fit the role.
According to Airbus, the
F-35 Lightning
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
,
Dassault Rafale and
Saab Gripen fighters as well as the
A400M Atlas
The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capa ...
transport and
A330 MRTT tanker could be adapted to command Wingman aircraft.
Airbus has stated that human pilots in the command aircraft would always be the "final decision making authority" in combat and would "always have control of the mission".
Users
As of June 2024, Airbus is working with the
German Air Force
The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...
to use the Wingman to meet their requirement of an aircraft which can augment their Air Force before the introduction of the
Future Combat Air System in the 2040s.
Airbus is also reportedly in negotiations with the
Spanish Air and Space Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 December
, equipment ...
for possible purchases.
The
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
and
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
are both also current users of the Eurofighter; a spokesperson from the United Kingdom declined to confirm or deny whether the country's air force was interested in the Wingman.
Specifications
See also
References
{{Stealth aircraft
Unmanned stealth aircraft
Airbus aircraft