Check out the Royal Air Force's new StormShroud drone made to jam enemy radars and clear the way for F-35s and Typhoon fighters
The UK just unveiled a new drone designed to operate alongside F-35s and Typhoons.
The drone, called StormShroud, will jam enemy radars so the fighter jets can operate more freely.
It comes as the UK and others, including the US, look to integrate drones with crewed aircraft.
The British Royal Air Force unveiled a new drone on Friday that's designed to jam enemy radars in combat to clear a path for F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to operate freely.
The RAF wrote in a statement that the new drone, called StormShroud, is now in operational service and is the first in a new family of autonomous systems that will fight alongside crewed platforms.
It said StormShroud will support the UK's F-35B and Typhoon pilots "by blinding enemy radars, which increases the survivability and operational effectiveness of our crewed aircraft." It added that uncrewed systems are not new to the UK and this drone was made by taking lessons from the war in Ukraine and other conflicts.
Among the aircraft the drone can support, the F-35B is a fifth-generation stealth aircraft made by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin; the UK operates them from the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. And the Eurofighter Typhoon is a fourth-generation multi-role fighter manufactured by a consortium of European companies.
The RAF said the delivery of the StormShroud "marks a significant step" in efforts to blend autonomous systems into front-line operations.
The drone's platform — the Tekever AR3 — is made in two locations in the UK and will carry Leonardo UK's BriteStorm electronic warfare payload that can jam the radars of enemy air defenses, creating openings for crewed aircraft to engage in combat missions.
StormShroud is part of the UK's Autonomous Collaborative Platforms strategy. This effort is centered on having crewed and autonomous systems operating together to reduce pilot risk in hostile environments by relying on flexible and cost-effective systems, like drones.
The US has a similar initiative to the UK's ACP called the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. The US has tested "loyal wingman" drones alongside its F-35s, and there is an expectation that the coming sixth-gen F-47 will fly with CCAs.
"This is a seminal moment for the RAF to maintain our advantage in Air Combat and national security," Air Chief Marshal Rich Knighton, the chief of the air staff, said in a statement.
Knighton said the RAF is committed to pursuing cutting-edge technologies that can enhance the force's "lethality and survivability in a more contested and dangerous world," explaining that "autonomous collaborative platforms will revolutionize how we conduct a range of missions, from intelligence gathering to strike and logistical support."
The RAF said conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show that drones have majorly changed modern warfare, both for offensive and defensive missions.
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