BAE to develop unmanned aircraft for the Air Force’s Skyborg program

BAE Systems will develop an unmanned air vehicle system for the Air Force’s Skyborg program under a new contract that could be worth up to $400 million, Air Force officials announced. 

Under the program BAE will compete to develop a digital design for an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of autonomous functions.

The Skyborg program is intended to create a low-cost autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle that will partner with manned aircraft to increase air combat power. Teamed with a manned aircraft, the UAVs will leverage autonomy to disrupt and defeat adversaries.

The UAVs will be designed with BAE Systems’ autonomous systems, which include sensors and payloads that communicate across a shared network with manned aircraft. The shared network enables manned-unmanned teaming, which allows UAVs and manned aircraft to work together and complete missions more effectively, according to the company. 

The network extends the reach of the fleet, while keeping the manned aircraft and personnel out of harm’s way. It will allow the UAVs to serve as the eyes and ears for pilots, collecting and sending data from the battlespace to a manned fighter.