The rise of the autonomous fighter plane

Several countries are about to introduce jet-propelled drones which are expected to evolve into fully-fledged robotic fighter aircraft, what will this mean for the future of warfare? Asks Steven Cutts

What role will the unmanned Ghost Bat play in the future? (Boeing)

Over the last few years, many observers in the aviation industry have been impressed by the development of a new, unmanned drone aircraft in Australia. It’s part of a programme known as “Loyal Wingman” and it looks set to change military aviation forever.

At first sight, the Australian development is nothing new. The well-established American-made “Reaper” is an unmanned ground attack aircraft that has long been operated by the United States and its allies. It was credited, for example, with a series of successes in recent counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Reaper is a propeller-driven machine with a really quite modest speed of 450km/h. This sort of capability is fine for counter-insurgency warfare, but Reaper would struggle to survive in a more hostile aerial environment.

The next generation of drone aircraft, then, is likely to do better. Several countries are about to introduce next-generation, jet-propelled drones which are expected to evolve into fully-fledged robotic fighter planes.