As Japan, Britain and Italy prepare for the full development and design phase of their joint next-generation fighter aircraft program, companies involved in the project have already begun working on some of their own artificial intelligence-enabled drones that could potentially operate with the sixth-generation platform.
Both Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Britain’s BAE Systems, lead system integrators in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) alongside Italy’s Leonardo, displayed models of uncrewed systems at this week's Japan International Aerospace Exhibition that could potentially tie in with the multibillion-dollar program.
While some of the concepts appear to be similar to that of Australia’s Loyal Wingman project, the drones are being designed to not only support and escort combat aircraft but also perform their own missions, including reconnaissance, electronic warfare and precision-strike operations.
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