More Details Emerge On Boeing's Loyal Wingman Drone

The first finished "Loyal Wingman" prototype.Boeing

Popular Science: Boeing’s new autonomous fighter jet has a pop-off, swappable nose

Called the “Loyal Wingman,” the drone is designed to fly with crewed aircraft.

The US military’s most futuristic and problematic fighter jet is the F-35, a very expensive aircraft that costs the Air Force around $82 million a pop. Exorbitant price tags like that, and other considerations, are spurring aircraft makers and air forces to think about ways to augment the fighter jets they have—planes flown by people—with smaller aircraft that have no one on board.

The latest full-sized prototype in this category comes from Boeing, and it’s a 38 foot-long airplane with twin tails and no space for a human pilot. Essentially, it’s a fighter jet drone. But, rather than simply cruising at high altitudes and conducting surveillance like a Global Hawk, Boeing’s plane can perform much more dynamic movements. While the aerospace company isn’t revealing too many details, it does say that it will have a range of some 2,300 miles and “fighter-like performance.” The initial aircraft the company has unveiled is called a “Loyal Wingman” airplane.

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WNU Editor: This drone is going to be heavily dependent on software .... Boeing Loyal Wingman: A combat drone that leans hard on AI (CNet).