Boeing and Australian government to develop unmanned Airpower Teaming System

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Boeing and the Australian government are to develop the Airpower Teaming System, an unmanned aircraft that will provide 'fighter-like performance' in support of manned military aircraft.

Australia’s Ministry of Defence will invest up to AUS$40m in developing the aircraft, which is scheduled to take its first flight in 2020.

The prototype, dubbed Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program, will feed into the production of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, a platform that represents the company’s largest investment in a new unmanned aircraft program outside the US. A model of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System was unveiled at the Australian International Airshow by Christopher Pyne, Australia's minister for defence.

“The Boeing Airpower Teaming System will provide a disruptive advantage for allied forces’ manned/unmanned missions,” said Kristin Robertson, vice president and general manager of Boeing Autonomous Systems. “With its ability to reconfigure quickly and perform different types of missions in tandem with other aircraft, our newest addition to Boeing’s portfolio will truly be a force multiplier as it protects and projects air power.”

Measuring 11.7m in length and able to fly over 2,000 nautical miles, Boeing Airpower Teaming System’s suite of sensors will enable it to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and electronic warfare.

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