THE PROPOSED unmanned loyal wingman platform being developed for the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) could be similar in size to the future manned Tempest fighter, with the first UK demonstration flight of the drone intended to take place in 2023. In January this year, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded a £30m contract to Spirit Aerosystems to lead the Mosquito project through to its next phase, with the ambition to develop the RAF's LANCA (lightweight affordable novel combat aircraft) concept ahead of a full-scale vehicle flight-test programme that is expected by the end of 2023. At the same time, the MOD stated that the uncrewed combat aircraft would be designed to fly at high-speed alongside fighter jets, armed with missiles, surveillance and electronic warfare systems.
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