Northrop Grumman introduces stealthy unmanned jet fighter as loyal wingman for manned combat jet aircraft

Sept. 27, 2021
At top speeds, the Model 437 could reach about 650 miles per hour, with a cruising speed of about 600 miles per hour, and fly alongside an F-35.

PALMDALE, Calif. – Northrop Grumman Corp. has designed a new autonomous jet fighter aircraft intended to accompany manned combat jets into battle. National Defense reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

27 Sept. 2021 -- Unveiled earlier this month at the Northrop Grumman facility in Palmdale, Calif., the Model 437 stealthy jet with a 3,000 mile range is a collaboration between Northrop Grumman and aircraft designer Scaled Composites in Mojave, Calif.

Executives say the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be for two autonomous aircraft technology programs — the U.S. Air Force’s Skyborg and the United Kingdom's Project Mosquito.

Skyborg will be an attritable unmanned aircraft with artificial intelligence (AI) to accompany manned jet fighters into battle. Project Mosquito is a British loyal wingman program that aims to fly a combat aircraft alongside the F-35 jet fighter, the multirole Typhoon fighter, and its future replacement, the Tempest.

Related: X-47B unmanned fighter drone lands on carrier; ushers in new era of unmanned carrier aviation

Related: PhysicsAI to develop artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for high-performance unmanned combat aircraft

Related: General Atomics to build 4 MA-9B SkyGuardian UAVs, ground-control stations, and sensor payloads for Belgium

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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