US Marines put their new experimental 'loyal wingman' to the test finding targets for a force of fifth-gen F-35 stealth fighters

• The US Marine Corps conducted its 4th trial of its caller experimental unmanned combat aerial vehicle.
• The XQ-58A Valkyrie sensed and transmitted target information for a unit of F-35 stealth fighters.
• The trial pushed nan manned-unmanned teaming conception "a measurement further" for nan full associated force, an charismatic said.

The US Marines successfully tested their experimental unmanned "loyal wingman" craft alongside F-35 Lightning II stealth combatant jets earlier this month.

The formation test, nan 4th for nan Marine Corp's XQ-58A Valkyrie, was a milestone for nan programme that helped to beforehand nan manned-unmanned teaming conception that nan subject is pursuing, an charismatic said.

The Marine Corps said past week that during nan trial astatine this month's Emerald Flag 2024 exercises astatine Elgin Air Force Base successful Florida, nan XQ-58A "effectively demonstrated its capabilities arsenic a forward-deployed sensing platform— providing captious threat targeting information to Marine Corps fifth-generation craft to quickly adjacent precocious termination chains."

The XG-58A Valkyrie, manufactured by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, is an experimental stealth unmanned aerial combat aircraft designed to stitchery information and relay scouting information for its partner aircraft, arsenic good arsenic connection different combat options.

The Marine Corps ordered a brace of these craft arsenic portion of nan Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer – Portfolio (PAACK-P) programme successful precocious 2022. The first trial formation for nan Marines followed successful October 2023. Other work branches person been experimenting pinch them arsenic well.

These types of unmanned aircraft, dubbed "loyal wingmen," person nan capacity for artificial intelligence-driven autonomy. The Valkyrie conducted its first formation backmost successful 2019 and is portion of nan US Air Force's Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator Program.

Recent testing, which Col. Derek Brannon, nan branch caput for nan Cunningham Group and lawman commandant for aviation, said "marked different milestone successful nan Marine Corps' unmanned tactical craft program." During nan flight, nan Valkyrie connected pinch nan F-35Bs and different craft and crushed participants via tactical information links, enabling integer communication. 

The F-35, a fifth-generation stealth combatant jet, is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and intended arsenic a benignant of backmost for American combat power. Aircraft for illustration nan Valkyrie and different akin projects person nan imaginable to heighten nan capability.

Brannon said successful a connection that "the occurrence of this formation trial during Emerald Flag pushed nan manned-unmanned teaming concept a measurement further for nan full Joint Force."

The testing astatine that arena was carried retired successful relationship pinch US Air Force trial and information units, naval aviation operations, and defense engineering offices.

Emerald Flag, nan Corps said, is focused connected testing caller and emerging technologies from crossed nan military, including "integrating precocious long-range termination chains." These efforts, it said, alteration "programs done a scope of realistic combat training environments connected air, space, and cyber abstraction platforms."