JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020 - 49

Drones as wingmen

Boeing Australia completes 1st Loyal Wingman fuselage, February 2020 ©Boeing
Australia

software necessary for pairing the
plane with its escort, the American giant is attempting to reposition itself against its competitors,
already well-established in the
sector of military UAV. Such an
opening to the market in the initial phases of the project could allow Boeing to make up lost time
in this area, which is surprising
when one recalls that Boeing was
a UAV pioneer for many years.
For purposes of comparing the
Loyal Wingman to other solutions currently available to the
military, we can draw up a value
scale based on the example of the

USAF. By way of an example, the
cost of a F-35 Fighter designed by
the Pentagon and produced by
Lockheed Martin costs around
80 million dollars. In the "traditional" aviation category, it can
take crew and arsenal within a
range of 870-1,140 kilometres depending on the model developed.
The MQ-9 Reaper is estimated at
around 18 million USD per unit,
while a Tomahawk missile comes
to about 2 million USD each. The
Boeing Loyal Wingman, with its
characteristics and novel operational approach, positions itself at
2M USD each per unit, an undeniable advantage in terms of price.

Test phases to come
Current production anticipates
that the three UAV ordered by
the Australian Air Force will be
delivered presently. During the
next round of testing planned
for 2020, they must demonstrate
their operational capabilities for
the entire concept: reliability
of the control interfaces, sensor
modules, maintenance plans as
well as data transmission and
software robustness.
"This is a truly historic moment
for our country and for Australian defence innovation," said the
Hon. Scott Morrison MP, Prime
Minister of Australia. "The Loyal
Wingman will be pivotal to exploring the critical capabilities our Air
Force needs to protect our nation
and its allies into the future."
Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, Chief
of the RAAF, said the roll-out of
the first aircraft was a significant
milestone in the Boeing Loyal
Wingman project. "This project is
an excellent example of innovation
through collaboration and what can
be achieved working together with
defence industry," said Air Marshal
Hupfeld. "This demonstrates the
importance of the relationship Air
Force has with Boeing Australia

and defence industry more broadly.
I look forward to exploring the capabilities this aircraft may bring to
our existing fleet in the future." The
first test flights will also aim to
demonstrate the tactical abilities
of aircraft when accompanied by
a squad of three UAV, and will be
subjected to varied experimental
operations scenarios. There, the
goal is to assert the impact of Boeing's innovation on air combat.
The success of these test flights
would mean putting the aircraft
into production by mid-decade.
More information:
www.boeing.com
www.airforce.gov.au

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N°137 November - December 2020

/ jec composites magazine

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #137 - November/December 2020