A cutting-edge uncrewed aircraft demonstrator will be designed and developed in a £60 million contract awarded to Leonardo.- £60 million over four years to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator
- Supporting up to 100 highly skilled UK jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil site
- Delivering innovative defence capability to support UK Armed Forces
Driving innovation in future naval capability, the project will support up to 100 highly skilled engineering jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil site.
Testing the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft for the Royal Navy, the three-tonne demonstrator – less than a fifth of the weight of a Merlin helicopter - could provide an innovative alternative to existing aircraft for tracking adversary submarines.
Trials will test the capability of the aircraft to drop “sonobuoys” – small tube-shaped buoys that track and communicate submarine activity – enabling the aircraft to alert a crewed helicopter and call for support if a submarine is located. Designed to operate at lower cost than crewed aircraft, capabilities derived from the demonstrator could also reduce the exposure of Royal Navy personnel to hostile threats.
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Capable of carrying a large payload, combined with the ability to operate in harsh environmental conditions, the aircraft could also demonstrate its utility across a range of requirements.
Beyond Anti-Submarine Warfare, the project will address other potential uses including ship to ship resupply and casualty evacuation.
So Robolooker using LINK 16 alerts the ship to POSSUB/PROBSUB at posn x and sub skipper hovers while crew and cab are launched, trundle to posn x, establish it's CERTSUB and prosecute attack on him. Surely it needs to carry weapons as well as sensors? Or are we talking a 'swarm' of robolookers with a single cab positioned up the presumed threat axis?
"If successful, the new aircraft would provide a platform capable of delivering improved surveillance and intelligence, enabling crewed Royal Navy helicopters to re-deploy on alternative missions if required and bolstering UK defence capability."
hmmm
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/6...ts-100-uk-jobs