Contributor - UK

David Donald

While the defense spotlight at Farnborough falls naturally on the Anglo-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), the rival Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is also evident. Part of the program involves uncrewed remote carriers (RCs) that can accompany the crewed FCAS core fighter. Two potential concepts are on show at Farnborough following their debuts at the ILA Berlin Airshow last month.
The systems represent the large and small end of the RC spectrum, and both reflect a need expressed by the German Air Force for such vehicles available before the FCAS manned fighter enters service—slated for 2040—so that they can partner and support the Luftwaffe’s manned Eurofighter and F-35 fighters in the 2030s. Other air arms have also voiced a desire for such capability ahead of the next generation of fighters entering service.
Remote carriers intend to add "combat mass" and to take over some of the high-risk mission elements from the manned fighters. As such, they will perform a variety of roles, such as attacks with weapons in high-risk airspace, decoy duties, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and defense suppression. The vehicles are network-enabled so that they can “talk” to each other and be controlled by the manned fighter or other sources. Air vehicle design allows for the carriage of varying payloads, according to mission requirements. The required flexibility also dictates a variation in size and performance characteristics.
In the static display, Airbus is showing its Wingman concept for a large, stealthy remote carrier. The full-scale mock-up represents an Airbus Germany design exercise for a large transonic remote carrier rather than specific projects. However, it exhibits the characteristics expected in such a vehicle, notably its advanced aerodynamics, low-observable shape, and internal weapon/sensor payload bays.
Also appearing in Farnborough, Diehl Defence’s Feanix (Future Effector – Adaptable, Networked Intelligent, Xpendable) weighs less than 300 kilograms and measures less than 4 meters in length. As with Airbus’s larger vehicle, it is low-observable, has a long-range, and can carry a variety of mission-specific payloads, including destructive effectors. It is network-enabled and can conduct swarming missions with other remote carriers.
Whereas the heavy RCs are expected to survive several missions due to their cost, the light RCs are considered expendable. This, in turn, means they have to be affordable enough to be available in sufficient numbers to provide the required levels of “combat mass.”
Diehl Defence has been increasingly involved in studying light RCs, using its own funds. It has launched the Feanix as a product, one it hopes will fill a forthcoming gap in capability as air arms await the fielding of sixth-generation fighters.

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