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 crewed combat aircraft, including sixth-generation fighters and bombers such as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider.

[1] Some concepts are based on a standardised aircraft deployed in two variants; one as a sixth-generation fighter with a human pilot and/or battle commander in the cockpit, and the other as a loyal wingman with an AI system substituted in the same location.

[2] Another concept is to develop a shorter-range, and hence smaller and cheaper, wingman to be carried by the manned parent aircraft and air-launched when needed.

[6][7] A loyal wingman is expected to cost significantly less than a crewed fighter, and will typically be considered vulnerable to attrition.

[9][10] The concept of the loyal wingman arose in the early 2000s and, since then, countries such as Australia, China, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US have been researching and developing the necessary design criteria and technologies.

However, although China already manufactures drones and has well-developed swarming technology, the planned level of autonomy or even AI for these systems are not known.

[25] The RAF in the UK has been developing the Loyal Wingman concept since 2015, with the Spirit Mosquito technology demonstrator flying in 2020.

[30] The Skyborg programme, going back at least to 2019, is developing the systems to operate wingman drones alongside advanced manned fighters.

[32] In 2020, DARPA AlphaDogfight predicted that AI programs that fly fighter aircraft will overmatch human pilots.

[33][34] Two alternative autonomous AI systems have been installed in a General Dynamics X-62 VISTA at the Air Force Test Pilot School.