WASHINGTON — Australia has been working with Boeing to build a long-range, fighter-shaped, stealth drone designed to fly with manned stealth jets.
Here are the details: The Royal Australian Air Force has signed a 115 million dollar contract to buy three more stealthy and autonomous "Loyal Wingman" drones from Boeing, raising its total order to six drones just days after the first prototype's inaugural flight.
Boeing says the drone is the first military combat aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.
The stealth drone is 12 meters long and has a 7.3 meter wingspan, making it around the size of a fighter jet.
It features a removable nose that can be packed with mission-specific sensors and other payloads.
The drone has a range of more than 3200 kilometers, and one of its roles would be to support stealth planes, like the F-35 fighter, with defence and surveillance tactics.
It's designed to act as a "loyal wingman" that is controlled by a parent aircraft to accomplish tasks such as scouting or absorbing enemy fire.
It can fly autonomously with manned jets, and might eventually use artificial intelligence to respond to new information on the battlefield.