#RAAF Loyal Wingman program

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Australia to Co-develop Further Three Boeing Loyal Wingman Aircraft

#Australia to co-develop further three #Boeing Loyal Wingman aircraft.

Australian government has announced plan to co-develop a further three Loyal Wingman aircraft with Boeing to advance the air-teaming vehicle, payloads and associated support and training capabilities. The agreement will increase the aircraft’s production capability to six aircraft for Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and is valued at $115 million over three years. The Loyal Wingman is the first…

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RAAF's fifth Loyal Wingman aircraft enters the final assembly line

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/02/202021 - 07:38 in Military, UAV - UAV

A Boeing ATS Loyal Wingman of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in flight. (Photo: Australian Ministry of Defense)

A Boeing ATS Loyal Wingman of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in flight. (Photo: Australian Ministry of Defense)

Boeing Australia said its Melbourne facilities recently began working on the fifth of the six Airpower Teaming System (ATS) aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), while the program continues its ground and flight tests and works to establish a final assembly facility in Toowoomba, Queensland.

The first ATS left the Melbourne factory in May 2020, which also houses the R&D facilities of Boeing Aerostructures Australia and Boeing Australia. The unit was based on its roots of historic companies Government Aircraft Factory and Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, as well as its experience in commercial aircraft to design the air vehicle and production system.

ATS first flew in March this year, while real team flights, during which the system will use artificial intelligence to coordinate flight with a manned aircraft, were also scheduled for this year.

The loyal wing UAV is imagined as being able to carry out a number of missions, including ISR, but will also be used to protect manned means, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter and the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C).

The 11.7 m long unmanned aircraft, designed to fly and fight alongside manned assets, is the first fully designed and produced military combat aircraft in Australia in more than 50 years.

"Collaborating with our Australian industry team, including RUAG Australia and Ferra Engineering, throughout the design process, we were able to incorporate 'design-to-manufacturing' capabilities into all aerial vehicle components and subsystems," he said.

The Airpower Teaming System team also took advantage of Melbourne's commercial aircraft manufacturing experience on the wings of the Boeing 787. Carbon fiber technology allows components to be cured without a traditional autoclave.

"Our team produced the largest components of a single resin-infused compound from Boeing for Loyal Wingman, taking advantage of proven technology," said Adnan Raghdo, director and chief engineer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Fabrication, Composite Capability. "Extensive computational modeling was used from the beginning to simulate and optimize the manufacturing process, which allowed 'virtual learning' before the first part."

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(via USAF Might Buy MQ-28 Ghost Bats For Next Gen Air Dominance Program)

USAF Might Buy MQ-28 Ghost Bats For Next Gen Air Dominance Program

The U.S. Air Force secretary has confirmed that the service could buy the Australian drone as part of the NGAD tactical air combat program.

BY

THOMAS NEWDICK

AUG 24, 2022 6:10 PM

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The U.S. Air Force could be the next customer for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone that Boeing Australia is building for the Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF. That revelation came about during a recent event in Australia that hosted U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who confirmed that “preliminary discussions” were underway with a view to buying the MQ-28 as a loyal wingman-type adjunct to the forthcoming Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, program, a wide-ranging ‘system of systems’ intended to ensure U.S. tactical air dominance for years to come.

Kendall’s disclosure was first reported by Breaking Defense as part of a wider article in which Air Marshall Robert Chipman, the new boss of the RAAF, also discussed the strategic challenges posed by China in the Asia Pacific theater. Chipman also took the opportunity to criticize China for “unsafe” intercepts of RAAF aircraft in the region.

As to the possibility of the U.S. Air Force acquiring the MQ-28, Kendall told Breaking Defense that he is “talking to my Australian counterparts in general about the NGAD family of systems and how they might be able to participate,” in that program, which will also include a manned fighter component.

Kendall said that the MQ-28 could serve “as a risk-reduction mechanism” as part of efforts to develop drone capabilities for NGAD. “I think there’s a lot of mutual interest in working together. And we’re gonna be sorting out the details over the next few weeks,” he added.

The U.S. Air Force secretary talked of a potential “derivative” of the MQ-28 for U.S. service, although it seems no further details of the scope of the modifications were disclosed. As it stands, the MQ-28 is being developed at first for the RAAF and a first example made its maiden flight on February 27, 2021, from Woomera, South Australia. A second prototype is now also flying, with a third set to join the flight test programme later this year.

The RAAF wants to put the drone into operation in 2024-25. The plan is to team the MQ-28 with existing manned combat aircraft, like the F-35A stealth fighter, F/A-18F Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, and fly air combat, reconnaissance, and surveillance missions. It could also serve in a 'protector' role for high-value airborne assets like KC-30 tankers and E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft. You can read more about what is now designated the MQ-28 in this past in-depth feature of ours.

Interestingly, Kendall had previously outlined, in very general terms, how he expected the drone component of NGAD would be developed. At a talk arranged by the Air & Space Forces Association in June, he discussed what sounded like a more iterative approach, but also indicated that the development of the drone element was less mature than that of the manned fighter. In that sense, it can be seen how the MQ-28 could become a very useful part of a much broader development curve.

All in all, introducing the MQ-28 to the wider NGAD architecture, even if only as an interim developmental/experimental capacity, seems to make a lot of sense.

We already know, for instance, that the MQ-28, which was originally known as the Airpower Teaming System, or ATS, is being offered by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force’s Skyborg loyal wingman program.

Skyborg is a wide-ranging initiative that encompasses a variety of systems that will form an artificial intelligence-driven ‘computer brain’ capable of flying both networked loyal wingman-type drones as well as more autonomous unmanned combat air vehicles or UCAVs.

In December 2020, Boeing, alongside General Atomics and Kratos, received a contract to build prototype airframes to carry systems developed under the Skyborg program.

With significant parallels between RAAF and USAF loyal wingman programs, The War Zone had predicted previously that the MQ-28 could play a role within the Skyborg initiative. According to Boeing officials, the MQ-28 as being developed for the RAAF and the company’s Skyborg offering will share a “common core” but will feature unique missionization.

With the MQ-28 designed from the outset for modularity, then it stands to reason that it could be tailored for missions related to NGAD, as well. In particular, the ‘snap-on, snap-off’ nose offers a significant amount of volume to carry various payloads, as you can read about here.

Not a great deal has been revealed about the kinds of payloads that the MQ-28 could ultimately carry, although an infrared search and track (IRST) system (which has now been fitted, at least in a test installation) and various radars are believed to be among them. However, even less is known about the kinds of drones — and there will almost certainly be multiple types — that will be developed under NGAD.

It’s also perhaps telling that Kendall, back in June, also talked about the drone element of NGAD as being “a more modular design, much less expensive.” He added that the drones wouldn’t need “all the systems a manned aircraft needs to have to support the operator” and would only have to carry “those things it needs for whatever we’re asking it to do.”

It's easy to imagine that the MQ-28, or derivatives of it, could be adapted to carry various different kinds of sensors, such as radars and/or electro-optical sensors, communications gateways, electronic warfare payloads, or even defensive lasers, which could support NGAD’s tactical airpower system of systems. Of course, there’s also the potential, at least, for the MQ-28 to carry a variety of different weapons, too.

The fact that the MQ-28 has been developed relatively quickly also bodes well for potential introduction to the U.S. Air Force, with Boeing’s heavy reliance on ‘digital twins’ having significantly sped up the path from program launch to flying prototypes.

The overall design concept makes use of highly detailed surrogate drones that exist only in the virtual realm, and also some in the physical realm, but which can be used in lieu of much of the traditional flight testing using physical prototypes. This same ethos should also make it easier to field new iterations of the MQ-28, to meet different U.S. Air Force requirements, whether as part of NGAD or otherwise.

The fact that the MQ-28 will likely be ready to slot into an early iteration of the NGAD architecture in relatively short order is likely also not lost upon U.S. Air Force officials.

Earlier this year, Andrew Hunter, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics bemoaned the fact that, despite “a lot of good work done over the years and a lot of demos done,” in terms of unmanned programs, “we haven’t fielded a lot of capability.” In this kind of scenario, with the Air Force seemingly playing catch-up, a readymade, ready-to-go solution like the MQ-28 could be very attractive.

More broadly, though, Skyborg — and potentially the MQ-28 — could contribute much to NGAD’s networked, manned/unmanned concept of air warfare, with its focus on developing “missionized prototypes with the ability to fly in experimentation events while teaming with manned aircraft.”

Certainly, there is much experimental work to be done, especially in terms of melding together manned and unmanned systems as part of the wider NGAD network. The plan is ultimately to have a viable concept of operations in which a single manned jet can serve as ‘quarterback’ to at least five unmanned loyal wingmen. Here, again, the Skyborg work will be crucial and will be expected to feed into NGAD.

It’s even feasible that the MQ-28 could get the nod for the experimental Skyborg work, before being further developed as a fully operational platform that can be used for manned/unmanned teaming as part of the NGAD program. That would certainly seem to fit in with the risk-reduction angle that Kendall spoke of, although, ultimately, NGAD would likely also feature far more drones, with expanded combat capacity in terms of sensors, weapons, and — not least — the overall performance.

We already know that the U.S. Air Force plans for the drone portion of NGAD to follow an iterative approach that will be run somewhat separately from the manned fighter and other development strands. At the same time, loyal wingman drones that will operate semi-autonomously in conjunction with the new manned jet are already on the agenda.

Even in its basic form, the MQ-28 would appear to have a lot to offer the U.S. Air Force. Boeing says the drone has a range of around 2,000 nautical miles, which is roughly double the combat range of most manned tactical aircraft. At the same time, the drone is expected to operate from the kinds of austere locations that are becoming an increasing focus of the U.S. military as a whole, especially in the Asia Pacific region.

Beyond the U.S. Air Force’s NGAD program, the U.S. Navy is also working on its own, similar future tactical airpower initiative, also known as NGAD. Less is known about the Navy NGAD, but it’s understood to have some crossover with the Air Force program and it also will feature drones heavily. Interestingly, Boeing has also pitched a naval version of the MQ-28, showing off a tailhook-equipped model at the Navy League meeting in Washington DC this year. Perhaps the Ghost Bat, or versions of it, could find their way into both Air Force and Navy inventories.

At present, Australia has so far ordered 13 examples, meaning this is still a relatively small program of record. But there is clearly hope that it can help usher in a revolution in how the RAAF goes about its missions. Should the U.S. Air Force decide to acquire the MQ-28, that would not only provide an enormous boost to Boeing and to Australia but would also contribute significantly to the potentially revolutionary NGAD initiative, even if it is only used as a developmental stepping stone.

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Boeing Uncrewed Teaming Aircraft Advances Flight Testing

Boeing Uncrewed Teaming Aircraft Advances Flight Testing

Loyal Wingman test flights continue to expand the flight envelope. (Boeing Photo) Boeing [NYSE:BA] Australia has expanded its flight-test program of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, with two aircraft successfully completing separate flight missions at the Woomera Range Complex recently. The first Loyal Wingman aircraft developed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) demonstrated a range…

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Boeing achieves significant milestone with new stealthy, robotic fighter jet

Boeing is progressing with the continued development of a new unmanned aircraft program in preparation for the first flight of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Loyal Wingman prototype in 2020.

U.S. aerospace giant reported that Boeing’s Australia division, based in Brisbane, recently achieved two more milestones on the Royal Australian Air Force’s Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program: weight on wheels and aircraft power on.

The development milestones for the unmanned aircraft come just weeks after completion of the first fuselage, allowing for rapid progress on systems installation and functional and integration testing from the aircraft’s own landing gear.

“We’re continuing at pace toward our goal of flying later this year, so that we can show our customer and the world what unmanned capability like this can do,” said Dr. Shane Arnott, program director of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System. “The strong contributions from our industry team are powering our progress.”

The new aircraft that developing under the Loyal Wingman program will complement and extend airborne missions through smart teaming with existing military aircraft.

Digital engineering has enabled Boeing to develop, simulate and test mission system behaviours that ultimately will increase customer capabilities – such as situational awareness and ISR. The team is working closely with the RAAF to refine the manned-unmanned teaming solution to address specific operational needs, and ensure manned pilots can trust and easily understand the unmanned systems flying with them.

Boeing hopes to sell the multi-role, unmanned aircraft, which is 38 feet long (11.6 meters) and has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704 kilometer) range, to customers around the world, modifying it as requested, according to CNBC.com.

Its first flight is expected in 2020, with Boeing and the Australian government producing a concept demonstrator to pave the way for full production.

from Defence Blog

Boeing is progressing with the continued development of a new unmanned aircraft program in preparation for the first flight of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Loyal Wingman prototype in 2020.

U.S. aerospace giant reported that Boeing’s Australia division, based in Brisbane, recently achieved two more milestones on the Royal Australian Air Force’s Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program: weight on wheels and aircraft power on.

The development milestones for the unmanned aircraft come just weeks after completion of the first fuselage, allowing for rapid progress on systems installation and functional and integration testing from the aircraft’s own landing gear.

“We’re continuing at pace toward our goal of flying later this year, so that we can show our customer and the world what unmanned capability like this can do,” said Dr. Shane Arnott, program director of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System. “The strong contributions from our industry team are powering our progress.”

The new aircraft that developing under the Loyal Wingman program will complement and extend airborne missions through smart teaming with existing military aircraft.

Digital engineering has enabled Boeing to develop, simulate and test mission system behaviours that ultimately will increase customer capabilities – such as situational awareness and ISR. The team is working closely with the RAAF to refine the manned-unmanned teaming solution to address specific operational needs, and ensure manned pilots can trust and easily understand the unmanned systems flying with them.

Boeing hopes to sell the multi-role, unmanned aircraft, which is 38 feet long (11.6 meters) and has a 2,000 nautical mile (3,704 kilometer) range, to customers around the world, modifying it as requested, according to CNBC.com.

Its first flight is expected in 2020, with Boeing and the Australian government producing a concept demonstrator to pave the way for full production.

via IFTTT

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Boeing Australia Completes First Loyal Wingman Fuselage

The Boeing completed fuselage structural assembly for the first Loyal Wingman which is one of three prototypes developed as a part of the Loyal Wingman

The Boeing [NYSE:BA] Australia team recently completed major fuselage structural assembly for the first Loyal Wingman. The aircraft is one of three prototypes that will be developed as a part of the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

“This is an exciting milestone for the development program, and the Australian aerospace…

[militaryleak]

Boeing Australia Completes First Loyal Wingman Fuselage

Boeing Australia Completes First Loyal Wingman Fuselage

The Boeing Australia team recently completed major fuselage structural assembly for the first Loyal Wingman. The aircraft is one of three prototypes that will be developed as a part of the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

“This is an exciting milestone for the development program, and the Australian aerospace industry, as we…

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Aircraft Engineering : Boeing accelerates Loyal Wingman drone program : Boeing is advancing efforts to introduce new digital engineering capabilities as it prepares for the first flight of the Royal Australian Air Forces (RAAF) Loyal Wingman prototype in 2020. The aerospace giant reported a continues work on developing technology for autonomous aircraft that will help Royal Australian Air Forces Loyal Wingman prototype take to the skies. Our aircraft and mission system is well advanced in our rigorous design and te

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Boeing Loyal Wingman Uncrewed Aircraft Completes First Flight

#Boeing Loyal Wingman uncrewed aircraft completes first flight. #LoyalWingman

Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully completed the first test flight of the Loyal Wingman uncrewed aircraft. The flight of the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years flew under the supervision of a Boeing test pilot monitoring the aircraft from a ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex. “The…

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Boeing Loyal Wingman Aircraft Conducts First High-Speed Taxi Test

#Boeing #LoyalWingman aircraft conducts first high-speed taxi test.

Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have completed the first high-speed taxi test of the Loyal Wingman aircraft in preparation for first flight. Boeing test personnel monitored the aircraft’s performance and instrumentation from a ground control station to verify the functionality while the vehicle reached accelerated speeds. The uncrewed aircraft has been undergoing low-,…

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"It's so exciting to see two aircraft on the air while Loyal Wingman continues to stand out in the flight test program," said Vice Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF Head of Capacity. "This opens up a significant agility capacity for the Air Force, especially with features such as the reconfigurable nose."

"We are strongly engaged in the development of the payload and the element of surprise that this gives us on the battlefield. You never really know what's going on," said AVM Roberts.

Australia is financing the construction of a total of six ATS Loyal Wingman, under two separate contracts. Earlier this week, Boeing revealed that it currently had five aircraft in production, having completed the first at its Melbourne plant in May 2020.

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Australia flies with two Loyal Wingman UAVs in the latest ATS test

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/04/2021 - 16:00 in Military, UAV - UAV

Two 'woyal wings' aircraft have successfully completed separate flight missions. (Photo: Boeing)

Boeing Australia expanded its flight test campaign of the Loyal Wingman Airpower Teaming System Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) program, recently flying with two aircraft in the Woomera Range Complex.

"It's so exciting to see two aircraft on the air while Loyal Wingman continues to stand out in the flight test program," said Vice Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF Head of Capacity. "This opens up a significant agility capacity for the Air Force, especially with features such as the reconfigurable nose."

"We are strongly engaged in the development of the payload and the element of surprise that this gives us on the battlefield. You never really know what's going on," said AVM Roberts.

Australia is financing the construction of a total of six ATS Loyal Wingman, under two separate contracts. Earlier this week, Boeing revealed that it currently had five aircraft in production, having completed the first at its Melbourne plant in May 2020.

The first loyal wing aircraft developed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) demonstrated a range of key features during test flights to continue to expand the flight envelope. A second aircraft also successfully completed its first flight mission, according to the company.

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Boeing Australia ‘Fires Up’ Engine on First Loyal Wingman Aircraft

#Boeing #Australia ‘fires up’ engine on first #LoyalWingman aircraft. #AusAirForce

Boeing Australia powered up the commercial turbofan engine on the first Loyal Wingman aircraft in September, as part of ground testing and preparations for first flight.

This milestone comes on the heels of Boeing completing and rolling outthe first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) earlier this year, a major step forward for the unmanned vehicle serving as…

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BAE Systems Supports Boeing’s Loyal Wingman Australian Industry Team

#BAESystems Supports #Boeing’s #LoyalWingman Australian Industry Team. #AusAirForce

BAE Systems has been selected to supply the unmanned flight vehicle management solution and simulation capability for the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program led by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The company is also delivering flight control computers and navigation equipment.

BAE Systems Australia Chief Executive Officer, Gabby Costigan, said:

“I am…

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Boeing Rolls Out First Loyal Wingman Unmanned Aircraft

#Boeing Rolls Out First #LoyalWingman Unmanned Aircraft. #AusAirForce

A Boeing-led Australian industry team has presented the first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

The aircraft, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to extend the capabilities of manned and unmanned platforms, is the first to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years. It is Boeing’s largest investment in an unmanned…

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Boeing Achieves ‘Weight on Wheels’ Milestone for RAAF Loyal Wingman Program

#Boeing Achieves ‘Weight on Wheels’ Milestone for #AusAirForce #LoyalWingman Program.

Boeing Australia recently achieved two more milestones on the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)’s Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program: weight on wheels and aircraft power on.

The ‘weight on wheels’ milestone is when the fuselage structure moves from the assembly jig to the aircraft’s own landing gear to continue systems installation and functional testing. The landing gear system was…