Flight International 09Mar2020

UNMANNED SYSTEMS

Special report

flightglobal.com 3-9 March 2020 | Flight International | 29

CONTENTS

30 Deception Hidden in plain sight

32 Valkyrie F-35 faces competition

34 Business case UAV MRO quandary

36 Technology Enabling capabilities

Expendable autonomous systems such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie (above) and X-61A Gremlins (below right) are gaining traction as
cheaper alternatives to piloted combat aircraft; a variant of the former may soon be hidden in shipping containers (below left)

US Air Force Research Laboratory

Some strategists fear a new generation of long-range,

high-speed Chinese weaponry could neutralise exotic

platforms such as the F-35 in a Pacific conflict. But

counter-intuitively, the mighty US Air Force may already

have a solution – and it is both low-tech and disposable

THROW-AWAY

AIR POWER

Shutterstock US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency