Boeing is a US multinational military contractor that designs, manufactures airplanes, rockets, satellites, telecom equipment and rotorcrafts. They also provide technical support and training services. Their latest Aircraft technology is the Autonomous unmanned fighter jet which they plan to sell to countries around the world changing the landscape of Aerial combat completely.
These fighter Jets have been unveiled and scheduled to start functioning by 2020 and can be customized as per user needs. The jets would fly without a human pilot, but they are designed to fly alongside crewed jets during combat. They are capable of gathering intelligence, performing the waning test, reconnaissance, and surveillance. They are designed to fly for longer periods, withstand higher gravitational force, and process information in real-time.
These aircraft are designed to be more cost-effective than the manned fighter jets although the overall cost is not yet revealed. The aircraft is called the Boing Airpower Teaming System and is designed to help mitigate the major risk during combat fight. Boeing Defense, Space, and Security (BDS) is the second-largest defense contractor in the world and is responsible for the Unmanned fighter jets.
Although these machines are called fighter jets, the term is used to specify an aircraft designed to shoot down other aircraft, and they are super flexible. The machines were designed to be able to outfit with payloads, sensors and a different mission set different from that of a manned fighter jet. The unmanned fighter jets are military aircraft designed for air to air combat as opposed to a bombers and that has capabilities of ground attack. They are super-fast, able to maneuver, and very small in size compared with another kind of aircraft. They are built to enable countries to establish air superiority with an advanced AI mechanism
They provide a disruptive advantage, threat detection, and measures almost 12 meters. With its ability to reconfigure quickly and perform different types of missions in conjunction with other aircraft they add to Boeing portfolio and would be a force multiplier as it protects and projects air power of a countries Navy.
Russia has also revealed its futuristic space drone, which can fly at blistering speeds of up to 2,401 meters per second.
Boeing Unmanned MQ-25 fighter Jet is ready
The Boeing Unmanned fighter jets is an aircraft system designed for the world Navy that provides needed robust refueling capabilities enabling it covers more distance and extending its combat range. Boeing has delivered aircraft carrier for more than 90 years across the globe. The fighter jets brings together a seamless carrier deck integration to deliver solutions that meet the US Navy requirements; it is seamless and brings together the right combination of refueling with a low cost.
Australian Navy has unveiled a version of this system. The US Navy on August 30, 2018, awarded Boeing an $805 million contract to build an MQ-25 Operational carrier unmanned aircraft. Under this agreement, Boeing would provide four aircrafts for the US navy. These aircraft can carry out roles such as intelligence, reconnaissance, give early warning.
Boeing deployed a wide range of industry team to achieve the unmanned aircraft fighter jet. They include Aitech Defense Systems, General Electric, BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, Cox & Company, Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Cubic, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions, Harris Corporation, Héroux-Devtek, Honeywell, Innovative Power Solutions, L3 Commercial Aviation, Moog Aircraft Group, Parker Hannifin, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce and Triumph Group
The Boeing MQ-25 unmanned fighter jet is not the first military AI system built in the world; the United Kingdom is building its AI-controlled fighter jet and drones. Russia has unveiled its new semi-autonomous robot tanks and currently building unmanned jets.
The US is also working on an AI-based craft called the Skyborg and plans on unveiling a working version by 2021 which would be able to operate autonomously. Skyborg would incorporate an AI system that can fly an unmanned aircraft with minimal, or no human intervention. The system would use software that is modular and open architecture so that it can swiftly add new and complex self-reliant behaviors into its advanced computer brain in the future. Another goal of Skyborg is to deploy a modular, fighter-like aircraft that can be used to quickly update and field iteratively more complex autonomy to support the warfighter.
Russia is developing a 6th generation fighter jet known as the Mikoyan MiG-41 that would have both the manned and unmanned versions. The unmanned version would be pilotless. This would be a fighter interceptor and would most likely be completed by 2025 and to be in service by 2027. Its primary mission is to offset reconnaissance aircraft such as the Boeing unmanned fighter jet been developed by the US. The MiG-14 would have an anti-missile laser, operate at a high altitude and even near space with super-sonic speed cruising at 3,3675km/h; 2,284 mph and fly at an altitude between the stratopause and the tropopause.
Fighter Jets Pilots could soon have Drones as Wingmen
Drone technology is nothing new to the world military. Many drones have been deployed and already in use, but Boeing is taking drone technology to a new level. This would be designed by Boeing Airpower System and built in the company’s Australian division. Six of these aircraft would be unmanned but fly along-side a traditional fighter jet with a human pilot taking instructions from him and giving him extra protection and more firepower. Interesting and out of science fiction, isn’t it?
Boeing said the artificial intelligence (AI) installed on the aircraft will allow it to fly independently. They may be able to attack target independently but would take instructions from a human pilot before carrying out attacks. The first versions would take to air in 2020 in Australia and manufacturing could expand to other countries as well.
The Boeing Airpower Teaming System is the company’s first unmanned system developed in Australia and designed for global defense customers. After its completion military pilots would have a new kind of flight partners known as WingMen, these are sensor studded Ariel drones that have the capability of flying into enemy targets instead of a human pilot. These would spare pilots lives, prevent loss of sophisticated jet fighters, amplify air power of the Navy, and a complete game-changer.
These fighter jets would be powered with an artificial intelligence system that gives them the ability to fly, learn, and respond to the needs of pilots and would generally operate with minimal inputs from human pilots. The term for this is known as quarterbacking in the Air force, meaning the pilot is calling the play and knows how the system would respond to his instructions but wouldn’t run the play for them.
Germany and France are other nations that are aiming at building a next-generation fighter that would act as a flying command center for swarms of the fighter drones.
The Future of Wingmen Drone system
Experts in AI are questioning if it makes sense to send humans along-side drones. Even though this system gives more security to the pilot, they are still in harm’s way. They say people should rather be on the ground in base stations or air-born command centers and give orders to combat drones and let them carry out the mission instead of going to the battlefield with the drones. Giving the rise of AI and drones, this is possible and a safer strategy which would save life and cost of $100 million in sophisticated jets.
Sending a human pilot to combat alongside drones as their wingmen add to their responsibilities and still exposes them to some form of risk.
Experts have concluded that future wars will be incomparable to recent and past conflicts. They warn that developed nations are going into AI arms race and these programs can wipe out infrastructures and nations with a single line of code.