General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has unveiled its newest unmanned aerial system called Gambit, the jet-powered platform intended to demonstrate so-called loyal wingman capabilities for the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
The device’s name refers to the chess world where Gambit is a chess opening move in which a player risks losing a minor piece to obtain a significant advantage in position.
General Atomics describes Gambit as “an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) designed through digital engineering to speed its time to market and lower acquisition cost.” The platform is being built for air dominance and will heavily leverage advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
Working together with other human-piloted aircraft, Gambit will enable pilots to see deeper into hostile airspace, detect threats first, and provide time and space for critical decisions and actions.
Gambit will use AI and autonomy to complete a variety of tasks without being prompted by an operator. The software and integration technologies developed by GA-ASI will support detection and analysis and provide users with the highest quality intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ever possible from an unmanned aircraft. Gambit will also be able to sense and track targets of interest and distribute that information across the battlespace.
“GA-ASI has led the way in integrating UAS into every aspect of military operations,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “Now we’re once again pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with unmanned aircraft, software, mission systems integration, and more. Gambit will usher in a new era, where UAS work collaboratively with manned aircraft to detect, identify and target adversaries at range and scale across the battlespace.”
