An MQ-9 Reaper UAV has collided with a Russian Su-27 fighter jet after it tried to spray the UAV with jet fuel, reports ABC News. The U.S. European Command has released a video that was taken from a camera the bottom of the UAV and shows the moment the collision occurred.
The Russian fighter jet took two passes at the UAV. During the second attempt to spray the UAV with jet fuel, they collided. Communication with the UAV was lost momentarily after the collision.
From the video, one of the propeller blades of the UAV seems to be damaged.
Successful test progresses Royal Australian Air Force’s teaming aircraft program
Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) successfully completed the first test flight of the Loyal Wingman uncrewed aircraft on Feb. 27.
The flight of the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years flew under the supervision of a Boeing test pilot monitoring the aircraft from a ground control station at the Woomera Range Complex in the South Australian outback.
“The Loyal Wingman’s first flight is a major step in this long-term, significant project for the Air Force and Boeing Australia, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the successful test,” said Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, RAAF head of Air Force Capability. “The Loyal Wingman project is a pathfinder for the integration of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence to create smart human-machine teams. “Through this project we are learning how to integrate these new capabilities to complement and extend air combat and other missions,” she said.
Following a series of taxi tests validating ground handling, navigation and control, and pilot interface, the aircraft completed a successful takeoff under its own power before flying a predetermined route at different speeds and altitudes to verify flight functionality and demonstrate the performance of the Airpower Teaming System design.
“Boeing and Australia are pioneering fully integrated combat operations by crewed and uncrewed aircraft,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Leanne Caret. “We’re honored to be opening this part of aviation’s future with the Royal Australian Air Force, and we look forward to showing others how they also could benefit from our loyal wingman capabilities.”
With support from more than 35 Australian industry teams and leveraging Boeing’s innovative processes, including model-based engineering techniques, such as a digital twin to digitally flight-test missions, the team was able to manufacture the aircraft from design to flight in three years.
This first Loyal Wingman aircraft is serving as the foundation for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System being developed for various global defense customers. The aircraft will fly alongside other platforms, using artificial intelligence to team with existing crewed and uncrewed assets to complement mission capabilities.
Additional Loyal Wingman aircraft are under development, with plans for teaming flights scheduled for later this year.
Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed the critical design review (CDR) milestone for the Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System (INS)-Modernization, or EGI-M, program.
EGI-M provides state-of-the-art airborne navigation capabilities with an open architecture that enables rapid responses to future threats. The fully modernized system integrates new M-code capable GPS receivers, provides interoperability with civil controlled air space, and implements a new resilient time capability.
“The completion of this milestone is a key step in bringing necessary navigation capability upgrades to our warfighters,” said Brandon White, vice president, navigation and positioning systems, Northrop Grumman. “With its open architecture and government ownership of the key internal interfaces, EGI-M’s next-generation navigation solution allows the government to quickly insert emerging capabilities from third parties while maintaining cyber security and airworthiness.”
The F-22 is one of the lead platforms for EGI-M integration. (Photo: Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie/U.S. Air Force)
Northrop Grumman’s unique, modular platform interface design enables backwards compatibility with existing platform footprint and interfaces (A-Kits), allowing current platforms to easily integrate and deploy Northrop Grumman’s EGI-M solution.
At the same time, EGI-M’s modular software and hardware, coupled with government ownership of key interfaces, allows EGI-M to benefit from rapid upgrades with best of breed software and hardware technologies now and in the future.
Northrop Grumman has been on contract for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of EGI-M since November 2018. The CDR milestone marks the completion of detailed hardware and software design of the EGI-M product line.
The launch platforms for Northrop Grumman’s EGI-M are the F-22 fighter jet and E-2D early warning aircraft. Additional fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms across Department of Defense and allied forces have already selected Northrop Grumman’s EGI-M as their future navigation solution.
The E-2D Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early-warning aircraft. (Photo: U.S. Navy)
