Boeing’s Loyal Wingman has powered up its electrical system and stood on its own wheels for the first time, in another milestone for the advanced unmanned aircraft that is being developed in Australia.
The development milestones for the unmanned aircraft come just weeks after completion of the first fuselage, and will lead to further systems installation and functional and integration testing from the aircraft’s own landing gear.
The Loyal Wingman, which is also called the Advanced Teaming System (ATS), is being developed by Boeing at its Brisbane facilities as a part of the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Program in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force.
“We’re continuing at pace toward our goal of flying later this year, so that we can show our customer and the world what unmanned capability like this can do,” Dr. Shane Arnott, Boeing’s Airpower Teaming System program director, said in a statement. “The strong contributions from our industry team are powering our progress.”
Boeing’s industry team consists of 16 different firms, including BAE Systems Australia, RUAG Australia, Ferra Engineering, and AME Systems. The company says that these four partners have supplied flight control systems and navigation equipment, the landing gear system, precision machined components and sub-assemblies, and wiring looms respectively.
The Loyal Wingman was unveiled last February at the last Avalon Airshow, and the RAAF has flagged the possibility of networking them together with its various manned platforms, such as the F-35A Joint Strike Fighters and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, as well as its EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control platforms in the future.
