Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office announce review of Project Mosquito

[MoD_RSS]

Project Mosquito, the future uncrewed Combat Aircraft Technology Demonstration being explored by the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), will not proceed beyond the design phase.

Continue reading...

 

[br9mp812]

Project Mosquito, the future uncrewed Combat Aircraft Technology Demonstration being explored by the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), will not proceed beyond the design phase.

Continue reading...

in englsh?

 

[GrumpyWasTooCheerful]

in englsh?

It's binned, in squaddie speak.

 

[Augustus]

Nothing to see here - just the jet jockey mentality of senior RAF officers ensuring that their service remains an unfit-for-purpose inept anachronism that will forever remain behind the leading edge of the world's air forces.

So business as usual then.

 

[CH512O]

in englsh?

Someone woke up and realised spunking money on stupid powerpoint/TEAMS presentations of unmanned aircraft talking to F35's was a waste of money.

 

[Archimedes]

Nothing to see here - just the jet jockey mentality of senior RAF officers ensuring that their service remains an unfit-for-purpose inept anachronism that will forever remain behind the leading edge of the world's air forces.

So business as usual then.

RAF plan is 10% piloted and 90% uncrewed within the next 15 years, IIRC (promoted by fast jet pilots, and the new DComCap is an engineer who hasn't got any emotional attachment to manned aircraft.

I'd not be surprised if this is AUKUS connected - just as in the days when if you wanted funding you said 'NEC', or 'Fusion' or 'MDI', now the key ker-chinng! word is AUKUS.

Reading between the lines, getting the Mosquito turned into a viable operational platform at a reasonable price and in the required timeframe wasn't going to be possible - the idea of the RCO is to test all sorts of good, but potentially flawed/over-expensive to turn into operational kit ideas and then rapidly bin them before too much money is spent.

The equivalent would be along the lines of Land having a similar body which took one look at Ajax, said 'F_____ that!' and recommended buying CV90 instead.

 

[alfred_the_great]

RAF plan is 10% piloted and 90% uncrewed within the next 15 years, IIRC (promoted by fast jet pilots, and the new DComCap is an engineer who hasn't got any emotional attachment to manned aircraft.

I'd not be surprised if this is AUKUS connected - just as in the days when if you wanted funding you said 'NEC', or 'Fusion' or 'MDI', now the key ker-chinng! word is AUKUS.

Reading between the lines, getting the Mosquito turned into a viable operational platform at a reasonable price and in the required timeframe wasn't going to be possible - the idea of the RCO is to test all sorts of good, but potentially flawed/over-expensive to turn into operational kit ideas and then rapidly bin them before too much money is spent.

The equivalent would be along the lines of Land having a similar body which took one look at Ajax, said 'F_____ that!' and recommended buying CV90 instead.

So - is this good or bad? I mean it’s ARRSE, so they’ll be criticised either way…

 

[Archimedes]

So - is this good or bad? I mean it’s ARRSE, so they’ll be criticised either way…

Not sure - but I suspect that if there isn't some thinking about working with the RAAF or engagement with a USAF program that is currently on the fringes of the black budget, the answer may now be 'swarming drones' rather than 'loyal wingman'.

 

[ABNredleg]

Maybe they decided see how the RAAF MQ-28 Ghost Bat program works out?

Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat - Wikipedia

 

[Edwardian Fred]

Maybe they decided see how the RAAF MQ-28 Ghost Bat program works out?

Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat - Wikipedia

View attachment 672679

Ghost bat? Sounds like something Scooby-Doo would encounter

 

[2000AD]

Ghost bat? Sounds like something Scooby-Doo would encounter

RUH ROH RAGGY!

 

[Slime]

As per above, as there are already things further advanced than what the U.K. has, and as they should work with the F35 the RAF/RN might choose to buy from overseas.

Buying whatever USAF/RAAF use should be cheaper too due to higher volume production.

 

[aardvark64]

It's an Aussie initiative, so more likely just the RAAF. But for once I can see us being grown up and having an input into the design aspects.

So who knows...

 

[Kroneit44]

Seems like we might be procuring something very expensive that won't be much use against near peer.

 

[Andy Farman]

"Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office"

Rapid, and, Office, in the same sentence? Someone with a degree in management, but lacking any life experience, thought that one up.

 

[Blogg]

The equivalent would be along the lines of Land having a similar body which took one look at Ajax, said 'F_____ that!' and recommended buying CV90 instead.

"The accumulation of analysis concluded that more beneficial capability and cost-effectiveness appears achievable through exploration of smaller, less costly, but still highly capable additive capabilities."

That does sounds a lot like it is too damn big, ambitious and expensive so wind your necks in because last thing we need is a flying Ajax.

And it was all so wonderful...

"This is a game-changing project, in every sense, and it is going really well. So much so, that I’m confident enough to announce that we will see the Mosquito demonstrator flying in UK airspace by the end of 2023, perhaps even for DSEI 23.”

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston: DSEI September 2021

 

[CH512O]

"The accumulation of analysis concluded that more beneficial capability and cost-effectiveness appears achievable through exploration of smaller, less costly, but still highly capable additive capabilities."

That does sounds a lot like it is too damn big, ambitious and expensive so wind your necks in because last thing we need is a flying Ajax.

And it was all so wonderful...

"This is a game-changing project, in every sense, and it is going really well. So much so, that I’m confident enough to announce that we will see the Mosquito demonstrator flying in UK airspace by the end of 2023, perhaps even for DSEI 23.”

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston: DSEI September 2021

Jesus we couldnt get Watchkeeper to fly over UK for ages. Doubt its going to be flying over London Docks at DSEi.

 

[Augustus]

Jesus we couldnt get Watchkeeper to fly over UK for ages. Doubt its going to be flying over London Docks at DSEi.

Well it’s not now because it’s been sh1tcanned…..

 

[Eyes_Right]

In a stunning technological breakthrough, Scientists at QinetiQ have announced future pilotless air vehicles will be able to generate a fully holographic Avatar that will randomly appear in RAF messes and announce that they are a pilot. This has quelled concerns from the aircrew community…

 

[Kroneit44]

Jesus we couldnt get Watchkeeper to fly over UK for ages. Doubt its going to be flying over London Docks at DSEi.

That's probably because the Army ran the project, and were very reluctant to let the Crabs in on it.