Boeing has revealed the 1st of 3 prototypes of its Australian-made Loyal Wingman program, the 1st military aircraft to be designed, manufactured and engineered in Australia for over 50 years. The Prime Minister (an important political function, the Prime Minister is usually the political leader of a country) of Australia, Scott Morrison, has announced : “This is a truly historic moment for our country and for Australian defence innovation. The Loyal Wingman will be pivotal to exploring the critical capabilities our Air Force needs to protect our nation and its allies into the future.” The Loyal Wingman uses artificial intelligence, is partially remote controlled and possesses some of the latest technology in aeronautics. The plane is being made for the Royal Australian Air Force. Although the plane isn’t ready to fly yet, Dr Shane Arnott, Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System program director has stated that Boeing is “continuing at pace towards our goal of flying later this year, so that we can show our customers and the world what unmanned capability like this can do”. This is great news, as this shows that Boeing is not letting themselves be put down by the failure of the 737 MAX. The Loyal Wingman measures 11.5 meters (38 feet) and will have a range of around 2000 nautical miles. 13th of May 2020.
Aeronews24 