The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has chosen four British firms to partner for the next milestone in Project NYX. This high-tech project seeks to develop autonomous “loyal wingmen” for British Army Apache helicopter crews. Anduril Industries (UK) Ltd, BAE Systems Operations Ltd, Tekever Ltd, and Thales UK Ltd have been shortlisted to drive the project forward and deliver on concepts for drones that will “increase lethality and survivability of the Apaches, while reducing risk to personnel.”
If you thought Apache helicopters were already a force to be reckoned with, imagine the sight of one or more of these war birds on the horizon, accompanied by a swarm of autonomous drones.
At this milestone stage, the MoD has invested £10 million (US$13,325,000) in the quartet of shortlisted companies, which have been whittled down from seven listed back in January. The remaining four aren’t working together on a collaborative Apache wingman drone design. Rather, according to the official press release, “all four designs to be assessed before a final partner is chosen later this year.” Actually, the MoD might choose two companies to move forward, depending on the designs from this phase of Project NYX, which are expected to be presented and judged in the fall this year.
The autonomous nature of the Project NYX drones means that Apache crews don’t face any further burdens on their skills. The drones can serve various purposes, says the MoD. Specifically, roles such as “reconnaissance, precision strike, target acquisition, and electronic warfare in contested environments” are mentioned.
The drones won't use or trigger weapons directly
At this stage, the government department says that the drones will not use or trigger weapons directly. Such decisions “will continue to be made by a human,” it asserts. We’d guess that under the pressure of a serious conflict, such safeguards could slip, though.
The MoD already has some idea of the range of solutions that are being worked upon by the shortlisted quartet of military tech makers. Images shared include a sampling of diverse UAS designs. Each design offers its own “innovative autonomy, payloads, and sensors,” says the press release.
After the winning prototype(s) are selected in fall 2026, the MoD aims to have operational Apache drone ‘wingmen’ ready for use in 2030.
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