In addition to the U. S. Air Force, other air forces around the world are also developing unmanned combat aircraft aimed at future air combat. In addition to the various advanced Chinese uavs that have attracted global attention, airbus also made its first public appearance at the 2024 International Air and Space Show in Berlin of its sleek, stealth drone wingman, similar to a traditional fighter. Airbus said the drone, which costs a third of the price of a manned fighter jet, could carry a range of precision-guided bombs, such as“Paving the way” and“Brimstone” air-to-ground missiles, it is expected to be operational in the 2030s.
According to the briefing, the“Wingman” uses a stealth design to provide escorts for manned fighters, “Designed to operate in a manner similar to a real wingman,” and can also perform riskier tasks for manned aircraft, it will be commanded by the pilots of operational European fighters such as the typhoon. To address the additional burden of controlling drones for fighter pilots, Airbus is seeking to use artificial intelligence to simplify the task of controlling drones and managing their data.
France also unveiled plans for a new generation of unmanned combat aircraft in June 2025. Arvind Badrinath, head of the fighter division of the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) , revealed that this highly stealthy UAV has a maximum take-off weight of more than 10 tons and is equipped with an internal bomb compartment, deployment from the 2033, alongside the Rafale, is also expected to be an important part of the “Future air combat system” developed jointly by France, Germany and Spain. It will learn from the French company Dassault before the development of the“Neuron” stealth drone experience. According to reports, “Neurons” in December 2012 debut, a total of more than 170 flights.
In addition, turkey is also developing domestic“Red Apple” unmanned wingman. According to reports, the“Red Apple” UAV uses the latest technical achievements in the field of uavs from Turkey. It is a single-jet supersonic stealth UAV with a take-off weight of up to 6 tons, can carry up to 1.5 ton weapon payload. It can carry a variety of Turkish-made guided munitions, including air-to-air missile, air-to-ground missiles, cruise missiles and smart remote-controlled bombs. It can perform a variety of combat tasks and can form formations with manned fighter jets, joint operations to meet the Turkish military’s proposed“Loyal wingman” concept. The Red Apple also has a short take-off and landing capability, which could theoretically be carried by an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship. The Turkish military plans to deploy the drone on the amphibious assault ship Anatolu to build its first drone carrier. (Chan Shan)