The X-37B Could Become a Fighter Jet's Orbital Wingman
The X-37B space plane could one day pass info to F-22, F-35 jets—but what kind of info?
By Kyle Mizokami
Nov 12, 2019
The U.S. Air Force wants the X-37B space plane to be able to connect to fighter jets.
It’s not clear what the Air Force has in mind.
The space plane’s high vantage point could allow it to detect adversaries or pass data between jets at long ranges.
The head of the U.S. Air Force wants to explore the idea of having the X-37B connect with fighter jets. It’s not clear what Chief of Staff General David Goldfein has in mind, but it could involve the space plane acting as a sensor platform, tracking targets below it. Alternately, it could act as a secure communications node between F-22 and F-35 fighters operating at a distance from one another.
According to Military.com, Goldfein teased that he was interested in seeing how the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could “connect†to the X-37B space plane. The F-22 and F-35 jets are two of the world’s first operational fifth-generation fighters, with built-in stealth, radars and advanced electro-optical sensors, and advanced communications capabilities.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a29766634/x-37b-spaceplane-wingman/
