AI-powered 'Wingman' drones stun Paris Airshow 2025: What they are, how they work, and why Military is betting big
What Are Wingman Drones?
The Fury and the YFQ-42A
Live Events
Boeing and Ghost Bat's Major Test
Europe and Turkey Join the Race
A Big European Partnership
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
At the Paris Airshow this year, drones took centre stage like never before. Some of the world's biggest defence companies and new-age tech firms gathered to show off next-generation 'wingman' drones, unmanned aircraft that fly alongside fighter jets and support them in combat.These drones are being developed to work closely with modern fighter planes and are set to reshape the way wars are fought. The growing popularity of drones in the Ukraine war and rising tensions in the Pacific region have pushed countries like the U.S. to invest heavily in this technology.Wingman drones, officially known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), are uncrewed fighter-style planes that can perform dangerous missions alongside human pilots. They can do things like spy on the enemy, jam enemy signals, launch attacks, or even protect the pilot.Last year, the U.S. Air Force picked two companies, Anduril and General Atomics , to start building these advanced drones. These companies put their latest models on display at the Paris Airshow.California-based Anduril showcased a model of its Fury drone, which is planned to go into production by 2027. The company is moving fast, with plans to build a massive production facility in Ohio. Anduril has already supplied smaller drones to Ukraine and also signed a £30 million deal with the UK to send its compact Altius drones for Ukrainian use.General Atomics, meanwhile, displayed the YFQ-42A, its answer to the Fury. Both are being developed to support U.S. forces in the Pacific, especially in case of a conflict involving China and Taiwan. Boeing made headlines with a successful test involving its Ghost Bat drones. In the trial, the drones flew alongside a manned Australian surveillance aircraft and completed a mission, all controlled remotely by a human. Officials said this kind of drone could make one fighter jet as powerful as a team, using sensors that act like 'hundreds of eyes in the sky.'European defence firms aren't far behind. Companies like Saab, Dassault Aviation, Airbus, and Indra Sistemas are working on the Future Combat Air System, which will combine drones and manned fighter jets.Turkey's Baykar also brought its drones to the Paris Airshow for the first time, including the Akinci and the TB3, which can land on small aircraft carriers. Baykar has also teamed up with Italian company Leonardo to create unmanned systems together.In another major announcement, Germany's Rheinmetall said it would partner with Anduril to build Fury and Barracuda drones (a missile-style drone) for Europe.With rising global tensions and the growing success of drones in battlefields, the race to build smarter, faster, and more capable drones is heating up. And at this year's Paris Airshow, it's clear that the future of war may be fought by machines flying side-by-side with pilots.Inputs from Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
HAL enters into agreement with SAE for production of LEAP engine parts at Paris Air Show
At the 55th International Paris Air Show, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's leading aerospace and defence company, signed an agreement with Safran Aircraft Engines (SAE), a French manufacturer of aircraft engines, for the production of rotating parts for LEAP engines, official sources said. Paris Air Show, organised by SIAE, a subsidiary of the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), is the largest event in the industry, bringing together stakeholders from around the world. This year it is being held from June 16 to June 22. According to the agreement, upon development of critical near-net Ring Forging technology at HAL, production of Inconel parts at the state-of-the-art Ring Rolling facility will commence at HAL's Foundry & Forge Division in Bengaluru, stated a press release issued by HAL on Thursday. "We are really proud to expand this long-standing partnership with Safran and to develop our industrial expertise in forging processes for Inconel parts for the LEAP program," D K Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, is quoted as saying in the press release. Dominique Dupuy, Purchasing VP, SAE, said the industrial cooperation is part of SAE's roadmap to diversify its production sourcing and strengthen its industrial footprint in India. Abdul Salam, General Manager, LCA Division, signed the agreement with Dupuy on June 18, said the release. The agreement follows the memorandum of understanding signed by Safran Aircraft Engines and HAL in October 2023 to develop industrial cooperation in LEAP engine parts manufacturing. A contract was also signed last February by both partners to produce Super alloy forged parts, stated the press release.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
AAP govt ended 'Inspector Raj' in Delhi, BJP reintstated it: Saurabh Bharadwaj
New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said 'red-tapism is back', 'corruption is thriving' and Delhi's businesspersons are once again under the thumb of officials. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj has hit out at the BJP for turning the clock back on ease of business in the capital. 'From making trade licences deliberately complex to unleashing a fresh wave of 'Inspector Raj', the BJP is deliberately choking Delhi's traditional markets, already struggling in the age of e-commerce, with even plans to shift historic bazaars like Chandni Chowk out of the city.' Criticising the BJP-led MCD for 'harassing' Delhi's businesspersons, AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'At a time when countries across the world are finding new ways to ease doing business and simplifying complex licensing systems through IT and computerisation, the BJP has done the exact opposite after forming its government in MCD. They have begun squeezing businesspeople the moment they assumed power.' Pointing to the deliberate 'complexity' of trade licence procedures, he asserted, 'It's clear that the way trade licences are being made unnecessarily complicated, there is corruption hidden behind this complexity. Any process that is deliberately made difficult directly benefits corrupt officials, who exploit businesspersons through harassment and extortion. Making the licensing process more complex is nothing but a gateway to bribery.' Highlighting how the system has been 'regressed', Saurabh Bharadwaj emphasised, 'What used to be a simple and streamlined process is now being damaged to bring back 'Inspector Raj' in Delhi. Officials will now start visiting shops again, demanding arbitrary bribes and threatening businesspersons.' Exposing how 'businesspersons will be extorted under the new regime', he stated, 'Shopkeepers will now be intimidated with the threat that if they don't pay up, their shops can be sealed--because the officers have been given that power. This opens the door to rampant exploitation.' Earlier, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday said that former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was 'surprised' at the work BJP government has achieved in the first 100 days of its tenure in the national capital. 'Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who came to meet Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. There was a discussion about the services they provide through NGOs. We also discussed that CM Rekha Gupta completed that in 100 days... He was surprised that achieving this much work in 100 days was possible... He is amused to meet the chief minister of over 30 million people, a very significant figure when compared to the European population,' Sirsa said. Blair met CM Rekha Gupta and Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa at the Delhi Secretariat here on Thursday. (ANI)
Deccan Herald
3 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
HAL enters into agreement with SAE for production of LEAP engine parts at Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show, organised by SIAE, a subsidiary of the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), is the largest event in the industry, bringing together stakeholders from around the world. This year it is being held from June 16 to June 22.
