By Garrett Reim2021-05-03T23:51:00+01:00
The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters passed data to one another using a communications gateway aboard a Lockheed U-2 spyplane.
The F-35’s Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) and the F-22’s Intra-Flight Data Link are incompatible, so the two aircraft types cannot transmit data to each other.
Source: US Air Force
US Air Force F-35A stealth fighter
To get around that problem, the USAF, Missile Defense Agency and Lockheed used an “Open Systems Gateway” communications payload aboard a U-2 to pass data between one F-22 and five F-35s, Lockheed said on 3 May. The gateway also allowed the stealth aircraft to share data with units on the ground. And, target tracks were transmitted by and through the U-2 into the fighters’ avionics and pilot displays, the company says.
The US Air Force says the Valkyrie drone launched another drone in a first for the aircraft yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie is a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle capable of high subsonic speeds. It was built by Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems for the Air Force Research Laboratory s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) program and first flew on March 5, 2019. The XQ-58A demonstrator completed its inaugural flight at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona on March 5, 2019. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hoskins
During its sixth flight test on March 26, 2021, the aircraft conducted its first payload release from its internal weapons bay, launching an Area-I ALTIUS-600 small unmanned aircraft system.
The Air Force is looking at relatively inexpensive, expendable drones like the Valkyrie as potential artificial-intelligence-driven autonomous platforms that could fly alongside and support manned fighter aircraft. This is the major focus of the Skyborg program.
The US Air Force says the Valkyrie drone launched another drone in a first for the aircraft msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington wants to connect with its allies and share data in real time.
What if Korean, Japanese, Australian, and U.S. F-35s, fighter jets, drones along with Navy surface ships could all track Chinese activities throughout the Pacific, all while sharing information in near real-time?
Chinese war preparation drills near Taiwan, carrier excursions into the South China Sea, bomber patrols, or flight intercepts off the Japanese coast might all be found, seen, and analyzed far and wide in previously impossible ways. Just how far along are the United States and its network of Pacific theater allies in bringing this kind of tactical vision to life?