Singapore’s Skyborg

How far is Singapore Air Force from getting its Loyal Wingman?

For the uninitiated, the USAF has started a new program called the Skyborg to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to be a wingman for their fighter pilots. The program has roped Boeing, General Atomics, Kratos, and Northrop Grumman to build their first “loyal wingman.”

Boeing has developed the MQ-28 Ghost Bat for the Australian Air Force, which is predicted to see the skies around 2024 to 2025. At the same time, Kratos’s XQ-58 Valkyrie has already flown many test flights thus far. On 26 March 2021, it passed its sixth test flight, opening the weapon bay doors and releasing another smaller drone from its bay.

It sounds like a scene from Dale Brown’s Drone Strike book: the future fighter pilots will communicate and link with UCAVs instead to perform surgical strikes and achieve mission success.

So, the question is, how far long does the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) have to get its own “loyal wingman” or a UCAV that will aid its fighter pilots?

The RSAF has only recently purchased its’ F35s, and it might take at least another 3 to 5 years before the Lightnings fly through the blue skies of Singapore. So in that sense, it still has a long way to go before Singapore has its own Skyborg.

It is my own opinion that I feel Singapore aviation companies should be looking to build a UCAV that will fly in tandem with the RSAF pilots. Singapore aviation space definitely has the capabilities to create and develop one. If Singapore can build satellites and plan to send them into orbit by 2025, UAVs or UCAVs are not very far off.

UCAVs would provide Singapore an extra edge over potential adversaries and deterrence, achieving mission success. It also helps keep up with the ever-growing technology worldwide, coupled with an aging population in Singapore.

It is no secret that most of Singapore's military uses technology from the USA. Getting a piece of the USAF’s Skyborg program will not happen anytime soon unless the USAF has built a second generation of UCAVs (probably a better, advanced version of Skyborg).

Seeing a UCAV aiding RSAF’s pilots might not happen anytime soon here, and it sounds like science fiction, but who knows what the future holds. If it does happen, the Air Force of Singapore will surely be a formidable one in the region.