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At the Farnborough Airshow 2024, attention is primarily on the Anglo-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), but the Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) also has a significant presence. As part of FCAS, uncrewed remote carriers (RCs) that can accompany the crewed FCAS core fighter are showcased. Two potential RC concepts are on display at Farnborough following their debuts at the ILA Berlin Airshow last month.
These systems represent both large and small ends of the RC spectrum, reflecting a need expressed by the German Air Force for such vehicles to be available before the FCAS manned fighter enters service in 2040. The intention is for these RCs to partner with and support Luftwaffe’s manned Eurofighter and F-35 fighters in the 2030s. Other air forces have also shown interest in this capability ahead of introducing next-generation fighters.
Remote carriers aim to add "combat mass" and undertake high-risk mission elements from manned fighters. They will perform various roles including attacks in high-risk airspace, decoy duties, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and defense suppression. These vehicles are network-enabled to communicate with each other and be controlled by manned fighters or other sources. Their design allows them to carry varying payloads according to mission requirements, necessitating variations in size and performance characteristics.
