Boeing is leveraging its connections through Australia’s industrial collaboration programme – the Australian Industry Capability (AIC) scheme – to support its project to develop the Loyal Wingman unmanned aircraft in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
A Boeing spokesperson told Jane’s that there are now more than 20 Australian companies involved in the project, which was unveiled at the Avalon Air Show in February 2019 to support and protect future air combat missions.
Boeing Australia announced in February 2020 that it had completed assembly of the fuselage structure of the first of three planned Loyal Wingman prototypes. Preparations to produce the second prototype are currently under way.
“Boeing and the Australian government have a very strong working relationship, and both have a vested interest in seeing equally strong industry development that spurs innovation and growth,” said the Boeing spokesperson “Boeing’s partnership with the government [on] the Loyal Wingman – Advanced Development Programme is doing that. It has delivered strong Australian Industry Capability results to date, and we see [an] opportunity to extend this model to other countries interested in ensuring they pursue both innovative capability that represents the future of aerospace and strengthening of their aerospace and defence industry.”
The spokesperson described the Loyal Wingman project as a “significant development programme” for Australia, which has leveraged “the skills of the local supply chain, often requiring the delivery of high-volume components and services unlike any other international development programme in recent years”.
According to Boeing, more than 20 “large, medium, and small enterprises” are involved in the Loyal Wingman development programme. Technologies involved in the project are derived from both Boeing and its supply chain, it said. Design, development, and manufacturing of the prototypes are occurring across three Australian states, although Boeing declined to name specific locations.
(Jane's)