Taiwan’s state-run defense research group is mulling developing autonomous “loyal wingman” drones to support fighter jets in a potential collaboration with a US-based manufacturer, a source said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a defense official said the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) has reached out to Kratos Defense in a bid to collaborate in building combat aircraft utilizing technologies featured in the latter’s XQ-58A Valkyrie.
The NCIST is optimistic that the project would go forward, as Kratos has shared valuable technologies, the official said.
Photo: Screen grab from Kratos Defense’s Web site
The Kratos XQ-58A is an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled combat uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), which has been selected as a potential companion aircraft to fight in “manned-unmanned teams,” which use “loyal wingman” drones, with the US Marine Corps’ F-35 aircraft.
Publicly available information shows that the drone is equipped with an internal weapons bay, a feature typically utilized for stealth aircraft, allowing it to carry weapons without compromising its low observable design.
The institute’s concept aims to combine the engine used in Indigenous Defense Fighters and a domestically developed active electronically scanned array radar system (AESA) with the infrared sensors in the XQ-58A airframe, the defense official said.
The AI navigation and command system that enables the UAV to fight autonomously and support friendly aircraft would be obtained from a separate source, they said.
The NCIST previously cooperated with Kratos in developing the Mighty Hornet IV, a loitering munition that features smart technology and high aerodynamic performance, enabled using a jet engine.
The two defense firms on Friday announced that the operational capabilities of the platform have been fully validated and that local mass production would start soon.
Steve Fendley, president of Kratos’ uncrewed systems division, said that the Mighty Hornet IV project could be a “springboard for ... potential additional collaborative efforts with other Kratos aircraft, and NCIST systems and technologies.”
The US defense manufacturer’s news release hinted that the collaboration could center on the XQ-58A, as the autonomous fighter aircraft was prominently featured in a group photo showing the two companies’ designers.
Kratos Defense’s fact sheet shows that the XQ-58A is a stealthy, high-performance and affordable autonomous collaborative platform that has been flying since 2019.
The aircraft, thanks to its propulsion system, has a cruise range of 5,666km and can reach a top airspeed of Mach 0.86, with an altitude of up to 13,716m.
The XQ-58A is a multi-role platform capable of carrying “kinetic and non-kinetic effectors” in its internal bomb bay and wing stations, Kratos Defense said.
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