It looks like the age of the robotic warrior is here. The RAF has revealed that a radar-jamming combat drone called StormShroud will be deployed to support Britain's F-35B Lightning II and Typhoon fighters using lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The idea of combat drones taking their place alongside conventional warplanes has been accepted for well over a quarter of a century, but the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed the trend into top gear as both sides have shown innovative new ways to use drones in the conflict.
While Loyal Wingman-type autonomous fighters are still in the works and two have officially joined the US Air Force, they're still in the prototype or pre-production phase. The Royal Air Force has taken its Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) a step further with StormShroud, whose job is to use electronic countermeasures to punch a hole in hostile air defenses.
A StormShroud flying point ahead of a wing of fighters as they close in on the enemy would be a very romantic image. However, that's far from what will happen when the drone becomes fully operational with 216 Squadron based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.
StormShroud is based on the Tekever AR3 tactical uncrewed aerial system (UAS). It's a small, catapult-launched fixed-wing drone with a wingspan of 11.5 ft (3.5 m) and a length of 6.2 ft (1.9 m). It has a range of 54 nautical miles (62 miles, 100 km) while carrying a payload of 55 lb (25 kg), and it's equipped with Leonardo UK's BriteStorm stand-in jammer. That's a 5.5-lb (2.5-kg) airborne counterjammer system consisting of a Miniature Techniques Generator (MTG) and bespoke Transmit Receive Modules (TRMs) that can be used for high-powered digital jamming and deception techniques.
In other words, the autonomous StormShroud can blind an adversary's radar or spoof it by creating squadrons of invisible fake warplanes to keep the defenders rather busy while the real planes slip by. The drawback is that the drone is propelled by an electric pusher motor that gives it a cruising speed of just 49 knots (56 mph, 90 km/h) and an endurance of 16 hours.
The fly in the ointment is that the lower stall speed of an F-35 is 120 knots (138 mph, or 222 km/h). That's almost three times the cruise speed of StormShroud, so they're not exactly going to be flying in formation. Instead, StormShroud will have to be launched independently long before any planned action to make sure it's on station on time.
Developed in just under a year by the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office, the Catalyst team in Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL), and British industry, StormShroud is the first of a new family of ACP drones for the RAF and will also work in conjunction with 216 Squadron's planned Loyal Wingman craft.
"This is a seminal moment for the RAF to maintain our advantage in Air Combat and national security," said Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff. "The RAF is committed to exploring cutting-edge technologies that can enhance its lethality and survivability in a more contested and dangerous world. Autonomous collaborative platforms will revolutionize how we conduct a range of missions, from intelligence gathering to strike and logistical support. We are excited to be at the forefront of this innovation and are working closely with industry partners to explore the possibilities."
Source: RAF