The Airbus Wingman is a loyal wingman aircraft in development by European aerospace manufacturer Airbus . The aircraft would be an unmanned fighter aircraft which would accompany a Eurofighter Typhoon or other combat aircraft as a force multiplier .
6-524: A 1 to 1 scale " show car " version of the Wingman was unveiled on 3 June 2024 at the 2024 ILA Berlin Air Show . The Wingman is said to feature capabilities including stealth and modern sensors, and is designed to fulfill roles including aerial reconnaissance , radar jamming , air-to-air combat and air-to-surface combat . It will be piloted by artificial intelligence . On 5 June 2024, Airbus announced
12-523: A dream car , is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private individuals. Corporate show cars generally fall into one of three categories: Privately owned show cars are cars extensively cared for by their owners primarily for the purpose of entering car shows and can be production models or custom-made. The creation of show cars dates back to at least
18-581: A partnership with European AI defense company Helsing to develop the Wingman's AI system. The Wingman would be controlled by a commanding crewed fighter, the initial aircraft proposed proposed for this role is the Eurofighter Typhoon , though Airbus has left open the possibility that other fighters or aircraft could be adapted to fit the role. According to Airbus, the F-35 Lightning , Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen fighters as well as
24-559: The A400M Atlas transport and A330 MRTT tanker could be adapted to command Wingman aircraft. Airbus has stated that human pilots in the command aircraft would always be the "final decision making authority" in combat and would "always have control of the mission". As of June 2024, Airbus is working with the German Air Force to use the Wingman to meet their requirement of an aircraft which can augment their Air Force before
30-600: The 1920s, but reached its zenith in the United States in the 1950s, when most major U.S. automakers began to exhibit wild, fanciful dream cars. The preeminent dream car maker was GM, which displayed its work at a series of traveling Motorama shows, mounted at great expense and attracting much publicity. In the 1960s American show cars became substantially more mundane, slight variations on typical production models (with exceptions like Chevrolet's Mako Shark prototype). The practice of building them fell on hard times during
36-836: The introduction of the Future Combat Air System in the 2040s. Airbus is also reportedly in negotiations with the Spanish Air and Space Force for possible purchases. The Royal Air Force and Italian Air Force are both also current users of the Eurofighter; a spokesperson from the United Kingdom declined to confirm or deny whether the country's air force was interested in the Wingman. Data from Airbus. General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Show car A show car , sometimes called
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