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US puts jet-drone teams to bigger test in race with China for air supremacy
American air force fighters work with uncrewed Valkyries to see how well they integrate
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Amber Wangin Beijing
The US military has raised the difficulty level with a coordination test of its crewed fighters and “loyal wingman” drones as it races against China towards the next frontier of air dominance.
Chinese military observers said the People’s Liberation Army was matching the United States in this technology.
The Air Force Research Laboratory said earlier this month that pilots operating an F-16C Fighting Falcon and an F-15E Strike Eagle each controlled two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones in an air combat training exercise.
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The exercise was a test of real-time integration between crewed and semi-autonomous systems, according to the laboratory, which is the US Air Force’s main scientific research and development centre.
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Built by defence firm Kratos, the drone first flew in 2019 as part of the air force’s push to explore the “loyal wingman” concept in which uncrewed aircraft are directed by crewed fighters.
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