Build Production Facility In Queensland, Boeing Ready To Produce Loyal Wingman Military Drone In Australia

Boeing Loyal Wingman. (Source: Boeing)

JAKARTA - American aerospace giant Boeing Co., announced that it will build a facility to manufacture military drones in Queensland, Australia, as the first company of its kind outside North America.

Boeing said on Sept. 22 a facility in the City of Toowoomba would be established in partnership with the Queensland Government, to manufacture and assemble the 'Loyal Wingman' drone, the first military fighter aircraft to be designed, developed, and manufactured in Australia in half a century.

The announcement comes less than a week after Australia announced separate plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet, as part of a new AUKUS security alliance with the United States and Britain, widely seen as a move aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. -Pacific.

"The selection of Toowoomba is an indication of the company's support for Australia's sovereign defense capabilities," said Scott Carpendale, vice president, and managing director of Boeing Defense Australia, as reported by Kyodo News on September 23.

"Currently, six of the drones are being developed for the Royal Australian Air Force," Carpendale continued, noting his company has received "significant interest from a number of countries around the world."

Operational illustration of a Boeing Loyal Wingman with a manned fighter aircraft. (Source: Boeing)

The aircraft is scheduled to conduct its first test flight in February, and is designed to operate as a team, using artificial intelligence to expand the capabilities of both manned and unmanned aircraft.

As previously reported, the Boeing Loyal Wingman is 38 feet (11.6 meters) long, has a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,704 km), and has a nose that can be equipped with a variety of payloads. The aircraft can also carry weapons and act as shields to help protect the more expensive manned fighter jets.

Boeing said as many as 16 Loyal Wingman jets could work together with manned aircraft to fly on a single mission.

The Loyal Wingman is the first military aircraft to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years. The plane made its first successful flight in late February, under the supervision of a Boeing test pilot who monitored it from a ground control station in South Australia.