AI Loyal Wingman Drone | Future Of Air Combat | Farnborough Airshow 2026 | Gravitas | WION News

[00:00:00]Our next story is [music] about a major air show in the UK that opened with defense and aircraft orders in focus [music] as wars in Ukraine and West Asia drove demand for stronger air defense capabilities. Defense companies made up half of a record 1,600 exhibitors at this year's show, highlighting a shift from the commercial aviation roots of an event that started in 1948 as a showcase for British aerospace technology. It's day two of the Fondra Air Show here in the UK. There's massive footfall taking place. Well over 100,000 people in attendance and uh day one concluded on a big hype. They're seeing one of the highest numbers here at the air show, one of the biggest in the world. Uh 36.2 billion pounds worth of orders that were completed. These are purchases of aircraft from Airbus and Boeing and this includes helicopters. Uh there were well over 200 firm aircraft orders and those were the numbers. Along with that uh nearly 450 firm engine orders which have al also been placed. Now these orders largely shape the uh the aerospace structure and the industry all across the world. These engines are from Leap and Pratt and Whitney. Pratt and Whitney engines are the ones which are used in the F-15s, F-16s, the F-35s, the F-22 Raptors and uh F-35 is here on display.

[00:01:16]It's one of the headlining acts. Major presence here today as well. Lots more that will be shaping up. India has a major presence here at the Fondra Air Show >> and among the biggest attractions this year. Next generation counter drone technologies designed to distinguish small drones from birds in real time. A capability shaped by lessons of course from the battlefields of Ukraine and growing drone threats around [music] the Gulf including Saudi Arabia and Jordan using AI powered sensors, radar, electrooptical cameras, acoustic detection. These systems are redefining air defense against the smallest and often the deadliest aerial threats.

[00:02:01]Our uh systems have been deployed in in Ukraine and uh we had some great feedbacks from Chin. We've been working closely with the uh with the people. We have a specific task force Ukrainian task force that is actually talking to people on the field and these people wanted the range of a radar is is is fixed. Uh this one is from 5 to 7 kilometers. The people in the field wanted to have an extended range of 10 km. We'd work with them in order to develop additional software for them to see shides coming their ways.

[00:02:35]>> Another attraction at the show is the collaborative combat aircraft CCA ecosystem where unmanned combat aircraft are basically designed to team up with crude fighter jets extending their reach, firepower, survivability. [music] The US Air Force is betting big on this concept. In fact, s also signing a key contract on the 17th of June to accelerate the program. On display there was the General Atomics uh one a version one of the front runners in America's next generation of the AI enabled loyal wingman aircraft offering a glimpse into the future of aerial combat.

[00:03:15]I'm standing in front of the future of aerial combat. This is the FQ42A Dark Merlin by General Atomics. It's part of the collaborative combat aircraft ecosystem. These are unmanned crude systems. They are going to be teaming up with crude fighter jet and they are going to be deployed in the dozens or even in the hundreds. Just one month ago, the US Air Force signed its first production contract for more than 150 loyal wingmen. That's what they are being called. And this is part of that fleet. The US Air Force will have these deployed along with their F-35 jets and they also have the MBDA spear missiles which are also mounted on the F-35.

[00:03:59]Those are going to be mounted on the General Atomics FQ42A.

[00:04:03]It's already gone into production now.

[00:04:05]The contract has been signed and in time to come every F-35 in the US Air Force fleet will be deployed with maybe dozens or even hundreds of these unmanned vehicles. For VON world is one. I'm Shivan Ju.

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