US plans for ‘Ghost Bat’ AI fighter jet DRONE to draw fire from Russian Top Guns… before shooting them out of the sky
A NEW generation of AI-controlled fighter jet drones could be the US’s secret weapon in potential future conflicts with China and Russia.
The US Air Force said it plans to have a fighter jet drones serve as decoys to attract enemy fire before blasting their rivals out of the sky sky.
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More than 1,000 superfighter drones are expected to be in production by 2028. Pentagon will soon select a shortlist from five companies competing for the project.
The unit price of the first batch will cost approximately $20.5-$27.5 million (£16.1-£21.6 million), according to US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
One of the combat drones expected to be shortlisted is the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, developed by Boeing Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force.
The multi-mission drone, named after a predatory Australian bat, is designed to act as a ‘loyal wingman’ for manned fighter aircraft by flying ahead of the parent aircraft, sniffing out threats and opening fire on enemy aircraft if necessary .
It is 38 feet long, has a wingspan of 24 feet and can fly more than 2,000 nautical miles at subsonic speeds.
Boeing said on its website that the MQ-28 will offer “fighter-like performance,” using AI to fly independently or with manned aircraft and integrate onboard sensor packages to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and tactical warning missions .
Other proposed drones include the Fury, developed by the California-based company technology company Anduril, and Gambit by General Atomics.
Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grummanthe two other companies involved in the competition have yet to unveil their designs.
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the US was moving with a “sense of urgency” on its program to produce AI-controlled combat drones, called the Collaborative Combat Aircraft project.
The decision to rush new combat drones to market comes amid rising tensions between the US and rival powers China Russiaand as the war started Ukraine – where the use of drones has become an important part of combat operations – rages on.
The U.S. Air Force plans for the program to include the use of several types of combat drones for missions, among others strikessurveillance, electronic jamming – and to serve as decoys to draw enemy fire.
A U.S. Air Force spokeswoman, Ann Stefanek, said: “Collaborative fighter aircraft are being designed to work with current and next generation aircraft to provide operational flexibility in achieving air superiority.” The times reports.
She said $392 million (£309 million) had been invested in the program this year, with further funding expected to be announced next one week.
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