US aerostructures manufacturer Spirit Aerosystems will lead a project to develop unmanned combat aircraft in Northern Ireland.
Project Mosquito, which has seen £30m of investment from the UK government, will design the unmanned aircraft to fly at high speeds alongside fighter jets.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be armed with missiles, surveillance equipment and electronic warfare technology.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the UAV will be the UK’s first that’s able to target and shoot down enemy aircraft. It will also be built to withstand surface-to-air missiles.
Director of future combat air at the MoD, Richard Berthon, said: “Project Mosquito is a vital element of our approach to future combat air, rapidly bringing to life design, build and test skills for next-generation combat air capabilities.
“Autonomous ‘loyal wingman’ aircraft create the opportunity to expand, diversify and rapidly upgrade combat air forces in a cost-effective way, now and in the future.”
The team said it expects to produce a full-scale vehicle flight-test programme by 2023.
UK defence minister Jeremy Quin added: “This is a great win for the Northern Ireland defence industry and will showcase some of the most pioneering engineering work currently being undertaken in the UK.
“The £30m project will accelerate the development of the UK’s future air power by delivering cutting-edge uncrewed aircraft, maintaining our position as a world leader in emerging technologies.”
