The Army won't be able to shoot down a swarm of enemy drones they way it would a single drone, Leonardo DRS CEO William Lynn said, so it needs a new strategy.
“There is no reason why [a drone wingman] should be any less autonomous than what the F-35 is doing right now,” an F-35 pilot from the Royal Air Force said on Tuesday.
The only new fighters Boeing is now producing for the Air Force are the F-15EX, an upgraded and modernized version of the fourth-generation F-15E. The first models of F-15s began flying in the mid-1970s.
The country has already begun efforts to integrate the network-enabled munition on its F-35 fleet, and the head of Norway’s F-35 project office said in a July 18 statement the weapon will play an important role in helping the country begin initial operations for its Joint Strike Fighter fleet.
The only new fighters Boeing is now producing for the Air Force are the F-15EX, an upgraded and modernized version of the fourth-generation F-15E. The first models of F-15s began flying in the mid-1970s.
The country has already begun efforts to integrate the network-enabled munition on its F-35 fleet, and the head of Norway’s F-35 project office said in a July 18 statement the weapon will play an important role in helping the country begin initial operations for its Joint Strike Fighter fleet.
The aircraft are to replace the 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripens currently operated by the Czech military, making the country the second Eastern European ally after Poland to order Lockheed Martin’s fighters.
Companies at the Farnborough Airshow this week are highlighting their investments in aviation sustainability, and executives say that while much of this work is driven by U.K. government requirements, it will have ripple effects across business areas.
With BAE headquartered in the United Kingdom and Leonardo in Italy, the companies say the arrangement strengthens the relationship between Britain and Italy, who are partnered for Future Combat Air System development.
“We really, really need those Block 4 capabilities,” Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said Saturday. “And so we want to make sure that the contract accomplishes that, and it will."
The eJPALS precision landing system could be a key tool for the Air Force as it seeks to establish networks of spread out, light bases in austere locations.
The agreement, announced during the Farnborough Airshow, follows the completion of a series of joint concept and feasibility studies between the two companies earlier this year and signifies approval from their respective national defence ministries to move forward with the program.
The Defence Ministry said in a press release it has already begun development of the combat demonstrator — a manned, supersonic aircraft that will test stealth-combatable features as well as other new technologies.
The technology development company is integrating two tools into its flagship ISR software platform and plans to deliver the system in October with Japan as its first customer.