Airbus Unveils Wingman Concept
Airbus have unveiled their new Wingman concept, ahead of the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA in Berlin, with an artist’s render of the aircraft. Airbus will be exhibiting a 1:1 scale model of their Wingman concept at the exhibition this week. The render gives no indication of size but depicts an aircraft with a smooth, low-observable lines. It has no tail but instead appears to have canards and rear control surfaces that run along the rear of its fuselage.
Airbus define the Wingman as “a drone that operates with manned fighter jets and receives its tasks and missions from a pilot in a command aircraft” adding that it “is a fighter-type drone that will be commanded by a pilot in a current combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter and can take on high-risk mission tasks that would pose a bigger threat to manned-only aircraft.”
The concept of an unmanned wingman unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) has been around for over a decade with numerous countries exploring the idea. Boeing Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat made its first flight in 2021, India’s HAL is developing the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior, Russia announced the Kronshtadt Grom in 2020, and the US have been working on the ‘collaborative combat aircraft’ concept since the 2010s with the XQ-58A from Kratos. The levels of AI integration across the platforms varies.
“The German Air Force has expressed a clear need for an unmanned aircraft flying with and supporting missions of its manned fighter jets before the Future Combat Air System will be operational in 2040,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “Our Wingman concept is the answer. We will further drive and fine-tune this innovation made in Germany so that ultimately we can offer the German Air Force an affordable solution with the performance it needs to maximise the effects and multiply the power of its fighter fleet for the 2030s.”
Airbus note that “the model on display at ILA Berlin will serve as a foundation and catalyst to drive the design requirements for each generation of the Wingman.”