Every fighter pilot needs a "wingman" which is another escort plane that watches over him when doing missions. This tactic of using escort aircraft has been around since 1915 when airplanes were used on the battlefields of the First World War. After 109 years, the escort aircraft flown by humans has now been replaced by waterbang drones.
At the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA which took place in Berlin this week, Airbus showed the Wingman escort drone concept. This swaterbang drone is designed to accompany aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon used by the air forces of European countries.
Based on concept drawings, it has a design that is difficult to detect by radar and comes with two canard wings at the front like the Su-30 MKM belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. This gives an early indication that this drone is capable of agile actions when operating. On the dorsal side, you can also see the refueling system while still in the air.
Like Australia's Loyal Wingman and the United States' Skyborg projects, Wingman will be used to perform missions that are dangerous to human pilots. Airbus has not yet shared what mission configuration the Wingman can perform. But if the Loyal Wingman and Skyborg can be used as a template, the Wingman may be able to perform information intelligence missions, operational area monitoring and even be equipped with weapons.