On 27 February, aircraft giant Boeing introduced its newest unmanned platform. The new aircraft, dubbed the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS), was designed to take unmanned aerial weapons platforms to the next level.
A model of the Boeing Airpower Teaming System was unveiled at the Australian International Airshow by the Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon. Christopher Pyne MP. As a research and development co-op between the Australian government and Boeing, the ATS was produced to test a new concept in warfighting the development team calls the “Loyal Wingman.”
Drone technology has already made leaps and bounds in the last decade. They come in all sizes, they can play many different roles from intelligence gathering, to targeted strikes, to reconnaissance. Drones can loiter in the skies for hours, being controlled by operators thousands of miles away. But the Loyal Wingman concept is a step up from all of that.
What Boeing and the Australians are aiming for is a platform that will be able to support manned aircraft and be an interactive participant in a given air mission. The crux of the ATS is the plane’s artificially intelligent system which allows it to fly independently or in support of other aircraft while maintaining safe distance from them and allowing them to operate. The electronics, sensors, and weapons systems on board the ATS are all designed to integrate with other aircraft. This opens the doors for unique capabilities of air wings accompanied by the ATS, as the drone would be able to amplify the capabilities of each fighter or bomber, from expanding their domain of radar awareness to sharpening weapons targeting. As the general manager of Boeing’s Autonomous Systems, Kristin Robertson put it this way: “With its ability to […] 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.”
Details of the exact capabilities of ATS are still few. As test flights with Boeing’s potential customers begin, more of the Boeing revolutionary concept will be revealed.
