The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has reached out to the industry for solutions to turn one of its non-stealthy fighter platform into an unmanned fighter that can be paired with a manned aircraft.
By U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. J. Scott Wilcox (U.S. Air Force photo 130919-f-ZN655-35) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Modifications to existing aircraft are to be kept to a minimum by having the software reside in one or many line-replaceable unit (LRU).
At a forum hosted by the Washington Post on Mar. 30, Deputy defence secretary Robert Work shed some light on how the Pentagon plans to approach the concept.
He said the F-16 will be the platform that will be converted and paired with the F-35.