Boeing announced that its Australian subsidiary has used systems developed in that country to enable a pair of unmanned, subscale, jet-powered test aircraft to conduct a semi-autonomous teamed flight for the very first time.
This is part of the development of the Airpower Teaming System for the Royal Australian Air Force, which centered around a stealthy “loyal wingman” drone intended to work together with that service’s manned platforms, including its F-35A Joint Strike Fighters.
They successfully achieved our first autonomous teamed flights using high-performance jets as test beds and Australian-developed missions systems technology.
Flying at speeds of up to 300km/h, the team tested the jets’ abilities to safely communicate and coordinate with each other.
In future, they will try more complex manoeuvres, increasing teaming formation numbers and more complex missions.
Sources: Facebook; The Drive