The first Australian military aircraft designed and developed in half a century—the Loyal Wingman—has successfully completed its first flight on the weekend. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the program is a testament to the ingenuity of Australia’s defence industry. “History has been made,” Morrison said. Introduced in February 2019, the unmanned Loyal Wingman has a range of more than 3,700 kilometres and keeps crewed capabilities out of harm’s way by projecting power forward via artificial intelligence. The Acting Minister for Defence, Marise Payne, said the Loyal Wingman program would support Australia’s defence industry and boost Australia’s workforce. “Through this Government’s investment in the program, we have helped secure over 100 Australian jobs,” Payne said in a statement. “This includes 33 highly skilled aviation engineering jobs in Victoria that would otherwise have been made redundant in the midst of COVID-19.” The Morrison Government is investing a further $115 million to support the next stage …
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