This US Drone Takes Inspiration From Video Games, To Save Lives Of Human Pilots Flying Behind

The US Air Force has just successfully tested an advanced drone fighter it calls the XQ58-A Valkyrie.

They say this jet-powered flying machine could someday accompany human pilots on missions, fighting alongside them and taking damage in their stead when required.

USAF

The drone was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory in partnership with Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems as way to fill multiple roles on the battlefield at minimum exposure to human soldiers.

Also Read: US Army Has This Deadly 6-Inch Drone For Spying, And The Enemy Just Can't Hide From It

The drone will be remotely controlled on its own by a piloted aircraft, or it will operate alongside other drones in a swarm. The Valkyrie is capable of carrying a payload of bombs, and can use a traditional runway, or even be shot into flight by a small rocket.

The prototype just completed the first of five planned flights this past week, and the Air Force says the drone "behaved as expected".

If you've played any military simulator like the Arma series or Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, you'll have an idea of what the Valkyrie is supposed to do. In those games, you have computer-controlled friendlies you can order to scout ahead, provide covering fire, and the like. This drone is expected to be the same kind of deal, accompanying a human pilot in a separate aircraft on missions. The pilot can then direct the drone to scout ahead for enemies, provide additional firepower, or even stay behind and absorb fire in a dogfight so the pilot can get away safely.

To that purpose, the Valkyrie is designed for fairly long-range flights. It can carry bombs across a range of just under 4,000 km, which is very close to the range of modern fighter jets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22 Raptor. It's much slower in comparison however, reaching a top speed of about 2,400 km/h.

The Valkyrie is also much cheaper than a fighter jet, if it's destroyed, only about $2-3 million. Not to mention the priceless life of the pilot it could help save.

Also Read: UK Military Is Testing Advanced Robots & Flying Drones That Could Save Soldiers In Battlefield

In fact, these sort of drones don't necessarily have to be limited to aircraft, they could also be deployed to land and sea units. The UK is already testing out self-driving supply vehicles, that could carry out last mile supply and munitions deliveries for troops on hostile territory. After all, if the supply line is most likely to be attacked, at least soldiers won't have to die defending it.