Pilotless fighter jets is the new big thing

The US is moving rapidly towards developing a new-generation of jet fighter drones piloted by artificial intelligence (AI) which are intended to outsmart China and Russia in any future conflict. The Pentagon is due soon to select a shortlist from five companies competing for the project with the aim of beginning production of more than 1,000 of the super-fighter drones by 2028. The lessons learned from the intensive use of drones in the war in Ukraine, as well as the huge cost of building manned fighter aircraft, have transformed US air force planning for future combat. The initial batch of crewless fighter drones will cost between one-quarter and one third of the unit price of an F-35 stealth fighter, around $20.5 million to $27.5 million compared with $82.5 million, according to Frank Kendall, US air force secretary. One of the fighter drones expected to make the shortlist is the MQ-28A Ghost Bat developed by a Boeing subsidiary in Australia jointly with the Australian air force. Named after a predatory bat found only in Australia, the multi-mission drone has been designed to fly ahead of manned fighter aircraft, such as the F-35, seek out the potential threats ahead and open fire on enemy aircraft if necessary. The Ghost Bat is only 38ft long with a 24ft wing span and will have a range of more than 2,300 miles. Others currently competing for the contract include the Fury, developed by Anduril, a California-based technology company, and Gambit, designed by General Atomics. The two other companies involved in the competition, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, have yet to reveal their designs. The programme to produce the AI-piloted fighter drones is called the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) project and is part of the Pentagon’s plans for future air dominance in potential wars with rival great powers – China and Russia. Kendall said the US was moving with a “sense of urgency” on the programme. The US air force said it planned to deploy several different types of CCA fighter jets for missions that would include strikes, surveillance, electronic jamming and also to serve as decoys to draw enemy fire. "Collaborative Combat Aircraft are being designed to work in conjunction with current and next-generation aircraft to provide operational flexibility in achieving air superiority," Ann Stefanek, spokeswoman for the US air force, said. She said that 392 million dollars was being invested this year and expected further funding to be announced next week. The use of long-range armed drones by both Russia and Ukraine, as well as by the Houthis in Yemen against shipping in the Red Sea and also in conflicts in Ethiopia in 2022 and Azerbaijan in 2020 have transformed modern warfare. However, the focus on unmanned systems is not new. The Pentagon has been developing unmanned aerial systems for years because of the increasing risk faced by pilots flying the most sophisticated and expensive jet fighters in dense anti-aircraft environments. Even the new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider which has now been test flown and is due to replace the B-1B and B-2 long-range bombers, has been designed with a potential unmanned capability.