Boeing rolls out Australia’s first ‘Loyal Wingman’ combat drone

Boeing rolled out the first Airpower Teaming System unmanned aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force on May 5, 2020. (Boeing)

今日の英語の習慣化の題材は、Boeing社のCombat Drone (戦闘用ドローン)のニュースからです。

Boeing社がAustraliaとの共同開発していた、'Loyal Wingman'と呼ばれる、Combat Droneのお披露目(Roll Out)があったと言うものです。

未来の戦争はSF並みにRobot同士の戦いになるのやら...

WASHINGTON — Boeing is set to roll out the first “Loyal Wingman” drone for the Royal Australian Air Force during a Tuesday morning ceremony, putting the RAAF high on the list of countries experimenting with autonomous aircraft.

“This a truly historic moment for our country and for Australian defense innovation,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “The Loyal Wingman will be pivotal to exploring the critical capabilities our Air Force needs to protect our nation and its allies into the future.”

The RAAF plans to buy three drones, which Boeing calls the Airpower Teaming System, as part of the Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program.

Over a series of flight tests and demonstrations, the RAAF hopes to figure out how to best integrate drones with fighter jets and other combat aircraft, allowing the air force to keep pilots safe by putting lower cost unmanned assets at risk during a fight.

“Autonomy is a big element of this, as well as the incorporation of artificial intelligence. Those two elements combined enable us to support existing forces,” said Jerad Hayes, Boeing’s senior director for autonomous aviation and technology.