Air systems


The relative affordability of the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat opens up the possibility of deploying multiple unmanned aircraft into a battle scenario.


the USAF maintains its first look, first shot, first kill air superiority advantage.” In fact, introducing A/R UCAVs can help address some of the vulnerabilities of linear kill chains, which can be broken if only one link – an AWACS aircraft, for instance – is lost. By contrast, fifth-generation fighter and A/R UCAV-supported ‘kill meshes’– consisting of potentially hundreds of sensors, shooters, and command and control nodes – could continue to function even if multiple elements are jammed or shot down, increasing the resilience of offensive operations. As such, relatively few manned fifth-generation penetrators should be able to quickly find and engage high-value targets while minimising their exposure to enemy fire. Even if they’re not providing sensor data for the kill mesh themselves, A/R UCAVs could disrupt air defence systems with electronic weapons, confuse the enemy’s operational picture by acting as decoys, or enable US commanders to conduct simultaneous operations that overwhelm the enemy’s ability to react. In that last example, A/R UCAVs could be used as off-board stations carrying extra air-to-air weapons for manned aircraft. Autenried and Gunzinger point out that that would address “a capability gap the air force has long sought to fill”, particularly as fifth-generation aircraft can only carry four to six missiles while maintaining their low radar profile. Accompanied by loyal wingmen with air-to-air weapons, manned aircraft could carry more air-to-ground munitions, enabling them to deliver more strikes per sortie without increasing their vulnerability to enemy interceptors. As Gunzinger and Autenried note, that “can have a critical impact on the time needed to achieve a theatre commander’s objectives”.


Trust the system


The potential of loyal wingman programmes is undeniable, but, to realise it, pilots and AIs need to work out how to fly together. Typically, they are presented as competitors. DARPA’s Air Combat


Evolution (ACE) initiative made headlines when it showed that an AI system can beat a USAF F-16 pilot in simulated dogfights – by 5–0, in fact. That does not mean the end of humans in the cockpit, though. Dogfighting in clear, virtual skies is a relatively easy task for an AI, but it’s a long path from there to full battlefield autonomy. As the above examples illustrate, loyal wingman drones are not designed to match human pilots’ ability to make decisions under pressure, but to perform specific tasks under their direction. Testing each other’s flying skills is just how pilots like to get acquainted.


“Regardless of whether the human or machine wins the final dogfight, the AlphaDogfight Trials is all about increasing trust in AI,” Colonel Dan Javorsek, ACE programme manager, told journalists before the 2020 event. “If the champion AI earns the respect of an F-16 pilot, we’ll have come one step closer to achieving effective human-machine teaming in air combat, which is the goal of the ACE programme.” That’s still the vision today. “They operate as a team […] and they’re under the control of the manned aircraft,” said USAF secretary Kendall in January 2022. “The commander for that formation calls the play; then, with a reliance on a high degree of autonomy, the other members of the formation operate in a way which is optimised against the threat that they see.” We are on the cusp of seeing that in action. The US Air Force Research Lab’s (AFRL) Skyborg programme has made important strides towards developing a platform-agnostic Autonomy Core System (ACS) that enables a variety of drones to fly in coordination with and support crewed aircraft. In October 2021, two AFRL MQ-20 Avengers flew in coordination using the ACS. That puts the US slightly ahead of Australia in the race to operationalise loyal wingmen, but by no means are they the only countries to realise the potential of A/R UCAVs. India, China and Russia are also testing their own drones and teaming systems. A money-saving measure is becoming an arms race. ●


Defence & Security Systems International / www.defence-and-security.com


$78m


The cost of the cheapest F-35A aircraft.


Lockheed Martin 43


Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence


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