RAAF drone cleared for take-off, set for $115m investment

Boeing’s Australian-developed combat drone flew different speeds and altitudes while completing its successful test flight.

The Australian-developed Boeing Loyal Wingman military drone completes its first test flight at RAAF Base Woomera. Picture: Supplied

The federal government will invest an extra $115m to develop Boeing’s Loyal Wingman combat drone following a successful test flight of the Australian-developed aircraft.

The semi-autonomous unmanned jet successfully took off under its own power at the RAAF’s Woomera test range on Saturday, flying a predetermined route at different speeds and altitudes before landing safely.

The aircraft was monitored by a Boeing test pilot from a ground control station, and is scheduled to undertake “teaming” flights with manned jets later this year.

The milestone comes just three years after work began on the drone, which is the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.

The Loyal Wingman has the capability to carry a variety of payloads in a removable nose section, including guided weapons and surveillance sensors.

Air force capability head Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts said the flight — on the eve of the ­centenary of the RAAF — marked the beginning of a new era of Australian air power.

“We don’t want to be like we were in the past,” she said. “We can’t stay behind the evolving trends. We need to be able to move at this really fast moving pace … (which) we call ‘the speed of relevance’.”

Air Vice-Marshal Roberts said the stealthy drone, which can be controlled from the air or ground, would be a “force multiplier” for crewed fighter jets, using autonomous systems and artificial ­intelligence to create “human-machine teams”.

She foreshadowed a possible family of variants with the potential to upscale the aircraft to fly further or carry larger payloads.

Acting Defence Minister Marise Payne announced the government would plough an additional $115m into the program, on top of $40m of taxpayers’ funds already invested in the aircraft.

“Our experience with the Loyal Wingman program has allowed the government to confidently support the next stage of development,” she said

The new funding will allow the construction of a further three Loyal Wingman aircraft, and the development of teaming tactics with crewed platforms.

The drone has a range of about 3700km, allowing it to fly ahead and ­engage the enemy, conduct electronic warfare or draw fire away from manned aircraft.