Manned-Unmanned Teaming with present and future combat aircraft

The manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) is well depicted by this formation of Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 alongside the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned platform. © US DoD

By Luca Peruzzi

The development of unmanned aerial systems and other relevant technologies including artificial intelligence or AI, data and cloud networking, autonomy control system and system/weapon/sensors miniaturization and networking, as well as the need to increase the numbers of the shrinking fleet of costly manned platforms, have pushed numerous armed forces and industries to actively experimenting with mannedunmanned teaming (MUM-T). The deployment of uncrewed, “low cost” and “attritable” but not “disposable” - unless requested by mission goals or manned platform survival - combat air vehicles aside manned platforms maximises their value as force multiplier, enhancing lethality and survivability in highly contested airspace. Although the introduction of autonomy technologies and artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the all-domain operations, the rules of engagement for new autonomous platforms and weapon systems are developing through stringent ethical consideration and evaluation, where the manin-the-loop continues to play an important role. This article wants to give an overall, nonexhaustive analysis of MUM-T programmes and activities on both sides of the Atlantic.

US main MUM-T programmes

One of the three US Air Force’s Vanguard rapidly fielding technology programmes, Skyborg is an architecture suite designed for autonomous attritable airframes which will enable, according to the service, to posture, produce and sustain multi-mission sorties at sufficient tempo to thwart adversary attempts at quick, decisive action in contested and highly contested environments. First revealed in 2019 and developed by Leidos company, the Skyborg Autonomy Core System or ACS has been validated in a multimonth test campaign in 2021, during which it was successfully integrated into two different unmanned platforms, the Kratos UTAP-22 Mako and the General Atomics – Aerospace Systems MQ-20, demonstrating the portability of the Government-owned autonomy core to enable its future integration on different platforms. A key campaign milestone was the participation in the “Orange Flag 21-2” exercise, US premier large force multi-domain test event conducted in June 2021, where the Skyborg ACS was integrated into one MQ-20, making the first flight testing on an unmanned vehicle operated autonomously in such complex event. Carried out by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), according to service documentation, Skyborg is organized into three main lines of effort (LOEs). LOE 1 develops, demonstrates, and prototypes the ACS consisting of Skyborg autonomy architecture and software, enabling machine-machine and manned-unmanned teaming, while also ensuring openness, modularity, and expandability of the Skyborg autonomy mission systems suite. The ACS LOE also develops, demonstrates, and prototypes the hardware components and Open Architecture standards needed to allow modular sensor, communication, and other payload integration into the Skyborg autonomy and vehicle architectures in systems integration laboratories and platforms. LOE 2 develops, demonstrates, and prototypes new low cost attritable vehicle concepts and technologies for expeditionary mass generation, including sortie generation employment concepts. LOE 3 conducts analysis and experimentation of concepts of operations and concepts of employment for attritable, autonomous, unmanned systems and assesses the openness, modular capabilities and integration of sensors and mission systems. In August 2021, both Kratos and General Atomics received a contract to further support the Skyborg integration into respectively the XQ-58A Valkyrie and

Successfully tested on board the General Atomics MQ-20, the Skyborg Autonomy Core System (ACS) consists of autonomy architecture and software, enabling machine-machine and manned-unmanned teaming. © US DoD

In August 2021 both Kratos and General Atomics received a contract to further support the Skyborg integration into respectively the XQ-58A Valkyrie, here depicted, and the MQ-20 Avenger unmanned platforms, alongside the system experimentation in large-force exercises. © US DoD

Last November the Orange Flag exercise involved aircraft such as the F-35A Lightning II and two General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger drones, which carried the Skyborg autonomy core system for a flight test that lasted several hours. © US DoD

the MQ-20 Avenger unmanned platforms, alongside the system experimentation in large-force exercises. These additional contracts were aimed to transition Skyborg to a programme of record in 2023, funding permitting. The ACS is also planned according to USAFRL to be used experimentally from 2022 on Boeing’s stealth Airpower Teaming System UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle), being developed for the Australian Department of Defence, as later explained. Interestingly, in March this year, the AFRL awarded a contract to Blue Force Technologies company to develop an unmanned air vehicle that supports adversary air training missions, which is to incorporate advancements pioneered through the Skyborg effort. In December 2021, the Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall announced the service is working on new concept programmes for MUM-T between unmanned platforms and respectively the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider long-range strike bomber and principally the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) advanced aircraft, but also potentially with the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

The US Navy is pursuing different high-performances unmanned platform programmes for service on aircraft carriers. Among the MUM-T efforts including unmanned combat air systems, in early 2020 Boeing announced that the Navy’s Warfare Development Command successfully conducted a demonstration of two autonomously controlled EA-18G Growlers by a third aircraft during the Navy Warfare Development Command’s annual Fleet Experiment. The experiment involved the Growlers acting as unmanned systems

under the control of a third Growler to prove the effectiveness of F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircrew to remotely control fighter and attack platforms from the cockpit. Involving twenty one missions in four sorties, the demonstration provided Boeing and the Navy the opportunity to analyse the collected data and decide where to make investments in future technologies. The US Navy continues to accelerate the development of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Family of Systems (FoS) to provide advanced, carrier-based power projection capabilities that extend the range of its aircraft carriers. The NGAD FoS will replace the F/A-18E/F Block II aircraft as they begin to reach end of service life in the 2030s and leverage Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) in order to provide increased lethality and survivability. The F/A-XX is the strike fighter component of the NGAD FoS that will be the “Quarterback” of the MUM-T concept, according to the service, directing multiple tactical platforms at the leading edge of the battlespace. The F/A-XX began the Concept Refinement Phase in FY 2021, and it remains on schedule. Last May, the Australian Government announced it will invest additional AUD 454 million in the Loyal Wingman - Advanced Development Programme. Since 2017, under the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) programme, the Australian DoD invested more than AUD 150 million to support the joint venture between the RAAF and Boeing Defence Australia leading a local industrial team which designed, developed and produced the Loyal Wingman unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) which was recently named MQ-28A Ghost Bat. In just four years the joint venture has successfully manufactured and flown the first Australianbuilt military combat aircraft in 50 years, which can make the programme a serious competitor in key export markets, according to Australian Government. Unveiled in May 2020, the MQ-28A aircraft first flight took place in February 2021, just two years and three months from the project launch. A second aircraft has joined the flight test programme, with a third aircraft being readied for flight-testing later in

The Australian DoD invested to support the joint venture between the RAAF and Boeing Defence Australia leading a local industrial team which designed, developed and produced the Loyal Wingman combat unmanned air vehicle, recently named MQ-28A Ghost Bat. © Australian DoD

In addition to the three Loyal Wingman prototypes for concept demonstration purposes, the investment of the Australian Government announced last May will add seven MQ-28As for a total of ten aircraft and will fasttrack the induction into service of the Ghost Bat in 2024-2025. © Australian DoD

In January 2021 an industrial team led by Spirit AeroSystems was awarded a £ 30 million contract to rapidly design and manufacture a technology demonstrator of the UK’s first uncrewed combat air system under the Mosquito three-year full-scale vehicle flight-test programme. © UK Crown copyright

2022. Over 70% of each aircraft is sourced, designed and manufactured in Australia. The investment will see the programme expansion to additional local companies, alongside international partners and allies, as well as the establishment of a production facility in Toowoomba near Brisbane and an acceleration of activities this year focused on sensor and mission system capabilities. In addition to the three prototypes for concept demonstration purposes, the investment will add seven additional MQ28As for a total of ten aircraft and will fast track the induction into service of the Ghost Bat in 2024-2025. The Airpower Teaming System as it is called by the manufacturer, provides fighter-like performance with an airframe of 11.7 meters length and able to fly more than 3,700 km. The UCAV has a modular and interchangeable nose section that can accommodate integrated sensor packages to support different types of missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communication relay and both kinetic and non-kinetic strike capabilities. The programme is a pathfinder for integrating autonomy and artificial intelligence according to the RAAF.

UK’s Project Mosquito and swarming drones

First revealed in July 2019 by the RAF Rapid Capabilities Office and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Project Mosquito is geared at developing and proving a technology demonstrator as part of the wider Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) programme that, according to the announcement, aims at offering additional capability, deploying unmanned platforms alongside fighters jets like the F-35, the Typhoon and next generation Tempest, offering increased protection, survivability and information for the manned aircraft, and could even provide an unmanned combat air ‘fleet’ in the future. Interestingly, in July 2021 speaking at the Air and Space Power Association’s Global Air Chiefs conference about the wide Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS), the RAF Air Chief Marshall Sir Mike Wigston said that, “in partnership with international allies like Italy and Sweden we are taking a revolutionary approach, looking at a game-changing mix of swarming drones, and mixed formations of uncrewed combat aircraft as well as next-

generation piloted aircraft like Tempest,” opening the way to potential common programmes for uncrewed combat aircraft and drones with the mentioned and other international allies.

As part of Project Mosquito Phase 2, in January 2021 the industrial team led by UK Spirit AeroSystems as prime contractor and airframe designer together with Northrop Grumman UK (artificial intelligence, networking, human-machine interface) and Intrepid Minds (avionics and power), was awarded a £ 30 million contract to rapidly design and manufacture under a threeyear full-scale vehicle flight-test programme a technology demonstrator of the UK’s first uncrewed combat air system (UCAS)

France, Germany and Spain, the FCAS/SCAF partner countries, and their respective industries, are developing the Remote Carrier (RC) elements, which combined together with the optionally piloted New Generation Fighter (NGF) and the networked Combat Cloud (CC) form the Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS). © MBDA To be launched from airfields, Airbus A400M ‘mother ships’ or aircraft carriers, the Mosquito is planned to fly in the UK air space by the end of 2023. The Mosquito UCAV together with Alvina swarming drones will support the new generation Tempest combat air platform. © UK Crown copyright

According to the teaming agreement between Airbus Defence and Space and MBDA, the latter focuses on the development of expendable Remote Carriers while Airbus DS focuses on reusable ones. © MBDA

adjunct to the current F-35, Typhoon and next generation Tempest platforms. Geared primarily at increasing the numbers of the service’s combat aviation forces, the uncrewed combat aircraft is designed to fly at high-speed alongside fighter jets, armed with missiles, surveillance and electronic warfare technology to target and shoot down enemy aircraft and survive against surfaceto-air missiles. To be launched from airfields, Airbus A400M ‘mother ships’ or aircraft carriers, the Mosquito is planned to fly in the UK air space by the end of 2023, without specifying if the actual first flight will take place earlier in foreign skies. Speaking at an International Institute for Strategic Studies virtual event in 2021, the then UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, said that by 2030 a Royal Air Force (RAF) tactical formation today being made of eight Typhoons will be composed of two Typhoon fighter jets, ten Mosquito uncrewed fighter aircraft and 100 Alvina swarming uncrewed aerial vehicles, “because that is the way of generating significant mass, and you can see that playing out both in the land and maritime domains as well.” The future RAF is expected to be made of Tempest, F-35, The future RAF is expected to be made of Tempest, F-35, Mosquito, Alvina and Protector, 80% of which will be uncrewed or remotely piloted platforms. In 2021 Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston announced that the RAF drone test squadron “has proved beyond doubt the disruptive and innovative utility of swarming drones under our Alvina programme”. Following two earlier phases of the UK’s Alvina programme, a £ 2.5 million contract for Phase 3 was awarded in January 2019 for an Integrated Concept Evaluation activity to explore the technical feasibility and military utility of a swarm of UAVs operating collaboratively, which was successfully tested in January 2021 with the largest collaborative military focused evaluation involving twenty swarming drones in the UK. Separate to the Mosquito being developed for the RAF, the Royal Navy is reported to be advancing its loyal wingman called Vixen.

FCAS/SCAF

France, Germany and Spain, the Future Combat Air System/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (FCAS/SCAF) partner countries, and their respective industries,

are developing the Remote Carrier (RC) elements, which combined together with the optionally piloted New Generation Fighter (NGF) and the networked Combat Cloud (CC) form the Next-Generation Weapon System (NGWS). The RCs development is conducted by Airbus Defense and Space as prime, MBDA France, MBDA Germany, and the Spanish SATNUS Technologies joint venture consisting of Sener Aeroespacial, GMV and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesia companies. The industrial team is developing a family of swarming and networked air vehicles with sizes ranging from hundred kilograms, for expendable ones, to several tonnes, for the more sophisticated and reusable loyal wingman type. According to the teaming agreement between Airbus and MBDA, the former focuses on the development of reusable RCs while the latter is working on expendable ones. Key technologies being developed include AI-supported cooperative algorithms, robust and fail-safe data communication, miniaturized sensors, new drive technologies, GPS-independent navigation, scalable means of action, low observability solutions and swarming technologies. If Dassault Aviation and Airbus will soon sign the agreement already reached by the countries, RC technology demonstrators could fly in 2027-2028 but this will depend on development path and timing. An initial operational capability for RCs could be reached in the 2030s to initially complement fourth-generation fighters, but this will depend on national requirements and modifications to the platforms and their mission suite. The FCAS’s MUM-T concept of operations (CONOPS) and associated requirements, which define the requirements both for RC’s airframe and for control system capabilities, are being investigated as part of the development path up to the technology demonstrator flying phase. The RCs are being envisaged, as displayed during Le Bourget air show 2019 and subsequent events, to support manned platforms in airto-air and air-to-ground missions, including the naval domain, alongside intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) as well as the mapping of the electronic order of battle, together with the jamming/deception, suppression and destruction of enemy air defence. MBDA is using all its experience and know-how developed with deeper strike weapon systems such as the Storm Shadow and Taurus, as well as the new family of Spear, SmartGlider and SmartCruiser smart connected weapons based on national programmes, to further evolve these concepts in RCs which development depends on the MUM-T platform selected types. MBDA has so far unveiled its RC100 and RC200 remote carrier concepts in 2019 but the final RCs

The Turkish Baykar Technology company’s UCAV Kizilelma (Red Apple in Turkish), is expected to fly in 2023, according to the manufacturer. © Baykar Technologies

could be different and a larger basket of solutions could be envisaged including, as already unveiled, a short range missile for intercepting air-to-air missiles launched against the protected platform. The much larger RC under development by Airbus and which early mock-up was presented in 2019, requires to be air-launched by transport aircraft such as the A400M, or take off from runways. No information has been provided yet on the loyal wingman type UCAV.

Turkish Baykar Kizilelma

The Turkish Baykar Technology company unveiled its UCAV design in July 2021. Initially known with the Turkish acronym MIUS, for unmanned combat aircraft system, renamed Kizilelma (Red Apple in Turkish) in March 2022, the platform is expected to fly in 2023, according to the manufacturer. The concept and model unveiled by Baykar Technologies shows a single turbofan engine-powered CUAV with a stealth design characterized by a delta wing and canard configuration with a fuselage airframe capable to accommodate a weapon bay. Although no official data were delivered about platform dimensions, the manufacturer provided information on main capabilities. With a 6,000 kg maximum take-off weight and the capability to take-off and land not only from short land runways but also claimed from through-deck naval platforms such as the LHD Anadolu, the future flagship of the Turkish Navy, the Kizilelma is indicated to feature fully automatic takeoff and landing together with a mission suite including an active electronically scanned array radar, advanced electro-optical cameras and electronic warfare systems, alongside a line- and beyond-line-of-sight communications suite. With a maximum 1,500 kg payload capacity, the Kizilelma is indicated to be capable to reach 0.6 Mach cruise speed and an operational altitude of 11,550 meters with an endurance of 5 hours and a mission radius of 926 km, without declaring the mission payload.

The concept and model unveiled by Baykar Technologies of the Kizilelma UCAV shows a single turbofan engine-powered platform with stealth design characterized by a delta wing and canard configuration, with a fuselage airframe capable to accommodate a weapon bay. © Baykar Technologies