Posted on 06/05/2024 12:59:30 PM PDT by Red Badger
The Airbus Wingman concept
Bringing some flash to military aviation, Airbus is showing off its Wingman drone concept this week at the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin. The 1:1 scale mock-up is the aerospace equivalent of a "show car" for highlighting ideas.
Trade shows like the ILA that runs through June 9 are not only an opportunity for salespeople to fatten up their order books, they're also a chance for companies to give potential customers an exclusive look at future products before the general public gets to know about them. Not only that, these sneak peaks allow engineers to let their hair down and their imaginations run a bit ahead of reality.
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The purpose of the Airbus Wingman, as with similar projects, is to fundamentally transform how fighter planes and other combat aircraft operate. Instead of acting independently or as part of a squadron of crewed aircraft, the Wingman allows fighter pilots to act less like dog-fighters and more like mission commanders, as the drones operate as integrated network nodes and take over many tasks, including reconnaissance, electronic warfare, attacking enemy targets, and generally taking risks rather than putting a person in peril. However, Airbus emphasizes that the decision to fire the Wingman's weapons will always be made by a human.
According to Airbus, the concept Wingman is designed for stealth, the ability to carry a variety of armaments like precision guided munitions or missiles, incorporate advanced sensors, and have a high level of connectivity and the ability to operate with other platforms to form a single functioning unit.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
Tacit Blue:
Have Blue:
*
No, the exhaust is on top to mask the heat signature from ground defenses.
Tacit Blue is even uglier than the Boeing Monica (X-32) fighter.
Clint Eastwood did it in “Firefox”.................
But he had to think in Russian.
bucket mouth bass...
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