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Boeing Presents First Loyal Wingman Unmanned Aerial Vehicle To Australian Air Force

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Boeing Presents First Loyal Wingman Unmanned Aerial Vehicle To Australian Air Force

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On May 5th, an Australian team part of Boeing presented the first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force.

This is “a historic milestone for the company and the Commonwealth,” according to Boeing’s press release.

It was developed under the Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program in the interests of the Royal Australian Air Force and designed to interact with manned combat aircraft.

The aircraft, which reportedly utilizes artificial intelligence to cooperate with both 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 project related to UAVs outside the US.

Boeing Presents First Loyal Wingman Unmanned Aerial Vehicle To Australian Air Force

Click to see full-size image

Boeing Presents First Loyal Wingman Unmanned Aerial Vehicle To Australian Air Force

Click to see full-size image

The presented is the first of three prototypes to be rolled out for the Royal Australian Air Force. The aircraft also serves as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS) being developed for the global defense market.

“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 Royal Australian Air Force, said the rollout 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 aircraft was engineered using a digital twin to model its structures, systems, capabilities and full life-cycle requirements; manufactured with Boeing’s largest-ever resin-infused single composite piece; and assembled using proven advanced manufacturing processes.

“We are proud to take this significant step forward with the Royal Australian Air Force and show the potential for smart unmanned teaming to serve as a force multiplier,” said Kristin Robertson, vice president and general manager of Autonomous Systems for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “We look forward to getting the aircraft into flight testing and proving out the unmanned teaming concept. We see global allies with those same mission needs, which is why this program is so important to advancing the development of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System.”

The Loyal Wingman, as part of the Royal Australian Air Force should be controlled from Lockheed Martin’s F-35A fighter jet, Boeing F/A-18F fighter jets, Boeing EA-18G EW aircraft, Boeing P-8A base patrol aircraft and Boeing E-7A Wedgetail control aircraft, and be used for reconnaissance and strike missions, jamming, used as a false target and more.

The developer of the UAV and the system as a whole is Boeing’s Phantom Works division of prospective and secret operations, but UAV production is almost entirely carried out in Australia, which gives reason to call Loyal Wingman “the first aircraft created in Australia in more than 50 years.”

In the future, Boeing hopes that the production of UAVs in Australia will facilitate its export to third countries, minimizing the impact of strict US export restrictions.

Flight tests of the first Loyal Wingman prototype are scheduled to begin by the end of 2020.

Details of the design and published characteristics of the Loyal Wingman UAV are still very scarce.

It is known that this is a subsonic subtle all-composite jet aircraft with a length of about 11.7 m, equipped with one engine. The flight range is declared at 3700 km.

The aircraft is equipped with a 2.6 m long bow compartment to accommodate the modular target load.

In the future, it is possible to equip the UAV with weapons, however, apparently, on an external sling.

It should be noted that the US Air Force is implementing the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) pilot program similar in concept to the “loyal wingman”, in which the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie UAV was developed, and which made its first flight in March 2019.

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cechas vodobenikov

designed so they can genocide the aborigines and invade New Zealand

occupybacon

Are there aboriginal Ruskies in New Zealand? then Good!

Bobby Twoshoes

Well there is a major gas deposit under Kakadu and the local tribe isn’t letting us relocate them again… I’m not so sure about the invading NZ one though, Maoris are no pushover, guess who developed trench warfare fifty years before the Europeans. If you want a good read check out the battle of Gate Pa.

James Adams

Nah New Zealand only has 9,000 soldiers

bob shekels

if it wasn’t for the whites the abos would have already been genocide by the Chinese. but the aborigines will be ethnically cleansed by the open borders and diversity is our strength crowd. That’s what happens when your people are incapable of defending they land and borders from foreigners.

Vitex

Don’t need to invade NZ – 1 million Kiwis in Australia already

Pave Way IV

That’s a lot of Kiwis! Apparently, ‘burning them out’ didn’t work. Have you tried live trapping them yet? They have opposable thumbs and are capable of squeezing through incredibly small spaces, so the traps must be well-designed.

I did learn an interesting new term with all the coronavirus and travel bubble plan: ‘across the ditch’. How perfectly Australian! Makes me want to drink a warm oil-can of beer right now.

Vitex

I like the bit about opposable thumbs. Eggshelly the Ockers are very good at ice-cold beer. They put the glasses in the fridge too. When it’s 50 deg C (i dunno, 120 F?) outside, you need cold beer!

James Adams

What the fuck are you on because I want it. Fuck the Abos and New Zealand can peacefully join Australia !!!

JIMI JAMES

We got it all,since we gave turnbuill/nazi/soros the good old anzac boot (period) Awsome trade partnership with factual ww2 allie china,plenty of ores,metals,gold,minerals self sustainable agriculture and second to none logistics in of democracys + kept corona virus honest along the way too,boeing is a factual proven company,unlike lockheed martin whom are just another nwo/covert nazi/tyranny affiliate whom rip every taxpayers off with the allready bogus ,proven by russia and germany fake stealth attributes!

This is one work of art and though it can be hoped it would only be utilised wisely than for say phaeodophiles oil grabs across the globe along with kissingers no constituate rule!

JIMI JAMES

Got is wrong there,actually to dismember the covert/soros regime thats embedded here and there!Either way the commonwealth makes a statement,mind your own buisness neo facists!

cechas vodobenikov

of course it is nonsense to believe that all societies obliterate indigenous peoples as has been the practice in the angloshere…Bolivia has regions populated by linguistically distinct tribes inaccessible to tourism…Russia has 100 cultures that retain their languages and self govern in autonomous regions—ostayaks, Chuvash, Bashkirs, Udmirks, Tatars, Mongols, Chechens, etc,,both India and China retain hundreds of different languages, ethnic groups Stalin proscribed assimilation observing that to deprive a group of their culture and language would impoverish them intellectually and result in an impoverishment of the entire society….there r huge populations of fluent Guarani speaking peoples in Paraguay, Brazil and moderate size populations in Bolivia, Argentina—few Bolivians speak Spanish as their 1st language….in most European nations there r sizable populations that do not speak the national language as their 1st language—Spain, France, Netherlands, Italy, Georgia, Turkey, UK—this is true for Mexico, Guatemala,etc and this true in most African nations—many in N Africa speak Berber as their 1st language, not Arabic

Veritas Vincit

The enthusiastic participation of Australia in successive and globally expanding US-allied wars of aggression clarify Australia not only violates a defensive posture but international law (in the process illustrating their claims of championing a ‘rules-based order’ are untrue).

Australian involvement in allied (anti-democratic) ‘regime change’ operations, the military occupation of foreign nations and participation in allied proxy warfare operations (involving the support of militants affiliated with terrorist organisations, particularly in Syria) further clarifies the criminal nature of Australian foreign policy.

As the US and Australia expand their aggressive (and illegal) foreign military operations and intensify hybrid warfare actions against various perceived strategic opponents (including the Russian Federation, the PRC, Iran, the DPRK, Venezuela, etc.), logically limits of restraint are likely in time to be exceeded. If or when this occurs (as in time is probable), recognition of realities will replace hubris. Then they shall find out if their military capabilities are adequate to protect them from the consequences of their globally expanding aggressive actions.

JIMI JAMES

Howard,abbott,shorten,turnbull= nwo/soros partnered shills ok. Morrison ain’t pro nazi nor pro isis nor pro kweer,understand the covert nazi defeat @ 2018 on!

JIMI JAMES

This is a strict commonwealth of Australia project,not your deepstate/nazi/cia/nwo f35 shitfight scam!

Assad must stay

yea loyal because its unmanned lol, i bet its just another piece of SHIT!

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