{"id":21270,"date":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/15\/how-autonomous-wingmen-will-help-fighter-pilots-in-the-next-war\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:52:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:52:45","slug":"how-autonomous-wingmen-will-help-fighter-pilots-in-the-next-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/02\/15\/how-autonomous-wingmen-will-help-fighter-pilots-in-the-next-war\/","title":{"rendered":"How autonomous wingmen will help fighter pilots in the next war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Imagine that sometime in the next decade, a long-feared war with China has erupted. In a bid to destroy Chinese defenses and break through to its airspace, the U.S. Air Force sends its advanced fighter jets and bombers into the most hostile territory it\u2019s faced in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this mission is different than those of the past. Swarming alongside each manned aircraft is a handful of small drone wingmen<\/a>, operating with minimal direction from the accompanying pilot. They scout ahead to map out targets, use electronic warfare capabilities to jam enemy signals, and launch their own missiles to carry out airstrikes and destroy targets \u2014 multiplying the effect a single pilot can have in battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the future of warfare envisioned by top Air Force leaders \u2014 most notably, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. And he\u2019s confident this isn\u2019t just a sci-fi pipe dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe technology is there now, where we can talk about a formation of a manned aircraft controlling multiple unmanned aircraft,\u201d Kendall said during a Jan. 19 forum with the Center for a New American Security. \u201cThere\u2019s enough technology in existence from programs that we\u2019ve already conducted, it convinces me that\u2019s not a crazy idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, the Air Force has floated the possibility of teaming up drones and manned aircraft \u2014 most notably as a possible feature of its secretive Next Generation Air Dominance platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now, the Air Force\u2019s plans for doing so are coming into focus \u2014 and energizing defense firms who hope their years of work pairing manned and unmanned systems will pay off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re catching the wave that\u2019s now being created,\u201d said Richard Sullivan, an executive at Northrop Grumman, adding he\u2019s been \u201cvery excited\u201d by Kendall\u2019s recent comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aerial combat is headed toward this teaming approach, Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote, deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements, said on a November panel, though he cautioned the Air Force is still experimenting to work through the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t even know exactly how this is going to unfold yet,\u201d Hinote said. \u201cBut it is clear that the autonomous collaborative platforms, we like to call them, or unmanned systems, are going to be a major part of the future of warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the U.S. military shifting its focus to winning a war against an advanced adversary, such as China, experts say the manned-unmanned teaming concept would be crucial to the U.S. prevailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force Research Laboratory laid the groundwork for a future manned-unmanned teaming through its Skyborg program<\/a>, an artificial intelligence-driven wingman that underwent its first flight test in a drone last April<\/a>. More recently, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency made progress on its X-61A Gremlins program<\/a>, which seeks to deploy and then recover swarms of small, sensor-laden drones from cargo planes in flight. Last October, the agency flew and successfully recovered in midair a small Gremlin drone for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Royal Australian Air Force has also made strides the way with its Loyal Wingman program, also known as the Airpower Teaming System. The armed service in March 2021 announced a $115 million contract with Boeing for three more autonomous Loyal Wingman drones, which would bring the force\u2019s total to six aircraft that it hopes to one day fly alongside manned fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A \u2018natural evolution\u2019<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Hawk Carlisle, a retired general who formerly led Air Combat Command, said the ability to extend an aircraft\u2019s reach with AI-infused wingmen is the next step for air combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a natural evolution, especially when you look at the capability today with respect to AI, with respect to systems, with respect to the computing power and capability you can put in a particular size\u201d aircraft, noted Carlisle, who is now the chief executive of the National Defense Industrial Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
An X-61 Gremlin drone and a C-130 conduct a flight test by DARPA at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah on Oct. 29, 2021. During the flight test, DARPA said it successfully recovered a Gremlin in midair for the first time. (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the last 20 years, the Air Force has flown drones like the MQ-9 Reaper in the largely permissive environments of the Middle East and Afghanistan, conducting airstrikes and feeding the military\u2019s insatiable need for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the next war will need much more. In a conflict with a peer like China, Carlisle said, the environment would be greatly contested, requiring additional capacity alongside fighter aircraft and meaning additional dilemmas and confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These drone wingmen could fill a number of roles, experts say. They could broaden the \u201cmother\u201d aircraft\u2019s situational awareness by flying ahead with infrared, electromagnetic, radar or visual sensors. This could improve the human pilot\u2019s situational awareness, map out targets, or identify the location of radars and air defense systems to provide a clear corridor for the manned aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They could also serve as communications nodes for friendly forces, or conduct electronic warfare operations by jamming enemy radars, communications or other signals. If they are large enough to carry their own armaments, they could carry out their own air-to-air or air-to-ground strikes alongside the manned aircraft, giving the enemy multiple threats to counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even without onboard weapons, a drone swarm could serve as a decoy to befuddle the enemy, sending out false signals that make it difficult for the adversary to differentiate between the manned and unmanned aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former F-16 pilot Heather Penney, now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Defense News that having autonomous drone wingmen taking on side tasks will allow pilots to concentrate on the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll \u2026 free humans to do more of what human cognition is really adept at \u2014 these really complex kinds of intuitive tasks,\u201d Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Air Force must also ensure the pilot isn\u2019t overloaded while trying to conduct that orchestra, she added. It\u2019s unclear how the pilot would control these wingmen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
An XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aerial vehicle flies in formation with an F-22 Raptor and F-35A Lightning over the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground testing range, Ariz., during a series of tests Dec. 9, 2020. The Air Force wants to adopt a series of low-cost autonomous drones it can fly alongside manned aircraft to multiply a pilot’s reach in the event of a major conflict. (Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force declined to comment for this story, but top officials have recently offered details on what they envision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Dec. 9 forum with Defense One, Kendall said one of his top priorities is identifying how to get combat drones ready to fly in real-world operations alongside manned aircraft. This could entail as many as five unmanned aircraft controlled by a single fighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force primarily envisions this as part of the NGAD concept, Kendall said, but it could be adapted to operational F-22 and F-35 jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe idea is the manned aircraft is essentially calling plays, and he\u2019s using these other unmanned combat aircraft basically as a formation, to do things that make sense tactically,\u201d Kendall said. \u201cThis opens up a whole bunch of opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kendall also floated the possibility of extending this concept to the B-21 Raider, which is under development, and networking such unmanned aircraft together under the bomber\u2019s control in a loose formation against the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the finer points are still to be determined, he acknowledged, including the mix of aircraft, drone payloads and what \u201cplays\u201d would be preprogrammed into the unmanned systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business opportunities<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The growth in the autonomous teaming market also gives firms like Kratos and General Atomics \u2014 companies smaller than the defense giants of Lockheed Martin and Boeing \u2014 an opening to grow their business with the Defense Department, Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Kratos and General Atomics have landed contracts with the Air Force to keep working on their XQ-58A Valkyrie and MQ-20 Avenger programs, respectively, as autonomous drone wingmen for the Skyborg program. \u201cThey could then become major players and establish themselves as \u2026 really becoming strong defense industry partners for the Department of Defense with autonomous teaming,\u201d Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Fendley, president of Kratos\u2019 Unmanned Systems Division, told Defense News that the firm is watching Kendall\u2019s increasingly focused statements on the subject with great interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe bring systems that are already flying \u2026 have already proven a number of different critical capability aspects \u2026 [and] that are affordable,\u201d Fendley said. \u201cWe\u2019re fully committed to the opportunity associated with this defense application. We\u2019re evolving with the DoD requirements as the DoD requirements evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System conducts its maiden flight on March 1, 2021 over Australia. (Royal Australian Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Steve Nordlund, Boeing\u2019s interim vice president and general manager for autonomous systems, said in an emailed statement the company welcomes the Air Force\u2019s growing emphasis on autonomous capabilities. As examples of products Boeing can offer, he pointed to the company\u2019s work testing autonomous capabilities in the MQ-25, Airpower Teaming System, Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle and operational autonomous craft such as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are entering a new era in which rapidly evolving technology is determining how wars are fought and won, and autonomous technologies can extend and connect human capabilities across all domains,\u201d Nordlund said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for this concept to work, Kendall said in January, these drones will have to be cheap \u2014 or at least cheaper than the manned aircraft. Cost savings are one of the factors driving the Air Force in this direction, he said, because if the service only buys expensive manned aircraft, it will be unable to afford the force it needs to win wars. Alternatively, low-cost drones would allow it to expand its capability while staying within budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kendall also said those drones must be at least attritable \u2014 meaning reusable, but inexpensive enough that the Air Force could afford to lose them in combat \u2014 if not completely expendable. This would allow the Air Force to attempt riskier missions it wouldn\u2019t otherwise consider for fear of sending a pilot on, essentially, a suicide mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other questions about the drones remain, Carlisle said: How would they be deployed and recovered in a combat environment? Would they be recovered aboard the aircraft they\u2019re paired with? Would they land on their own or parachute into water? How will they be recovered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deployment methods are another question. Carlisle said these drones don\u2019t necessarily have to be carried into combat by the aircraft with which they\u2019re paired. Instead, he explained, they could be launched from the bay of large cargo aircraft, similar to the palletized munition concept the Air Force Research Laboratory is testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A B-21\u2032s bomb bay may have the capacity to carry these drones, he added, but a fighter would likely have to preserve its limited pylon space for munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And building a culture in the Air Force where everybody understands the capabilities of these systems \u2014 and trusts them \u2014 will take time, Penney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be sufficient in a highly contested environment to just strap an iPad onto your leg and go from there,\u201d Penney said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need to provide these flight leads and mission commanders fully integrated and elegant interfaces to be able to supervise, direct and control \u2014 not like stick and rudder control, but command \u2014 their autonomous teaming aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hinote said that in combat, the potential always exists for enemies to \u201cfracture\u201d the U.S. military\u2019s capability to communicate, which is why these unmanned systems will need \u201ctiers of autonomy\u201d that allow them to carry out their assigned missions \u2014 within limits \u2014 if that happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, he said, the military wouldn\u2019t want an autonomous system going forward with actions a human might want to veto, and there should be restrictions on timing, geographic reach and missions it would autonomously carry out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the service\u2019s work on the Joint All-Domain Command and Control architecture will be vital for networking with these unmanned systems and ensuring they remain in sync and under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, if an autonomous system starts \u201cmisbehaving,\u201d Penney said, the Air Force needs a protocol to tell it to go home, land and not automatically download its data. The system would need to be quarantined until experts figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the ethical questions of conducting warfare \u2014 and potentially killing people \u2014 with autonomous devices must be considered, James said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI systems would be designed to independently learn and act, such as taking evasive actions if a threat emerges, James said. But she doubts the military would empower an autonomous system to make its own decisions on whether to shift from one target to another, if that newly acquired target potentially involved human casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penney also underlined the importance of having human supervision over these drones, even when they\u2019re operating autonomously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis does not mean that these autonomous teammates will be \u2018killer bots\u2019 without any kind of human control or supervision,\u201d Penney said. \u201cA lot of people think that we\u2019re moving into this world of sky bots, killer robots, and really taking our morals, our ethics, our values out of the system and reducing it to a mathematical algorithm. That\u2019s simply just not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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