Team Mosquito (originally Team Blackdawn) was formed to develop a weapons-delivering, stealth-minded Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) for possible adoption by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) through its "Lightweight, Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft" (LANCA), an initiative by the service provide its airmen with a "Loyal Wingman" - similar in project scope to the American-Australian Boeing Airpower Teaming System (ATS) and the American Kratos XQ-58 "Valkyrie". The intriguing air vehicle was to have been an autonomous extension of the pilot and his aircraft, capable of independently searching for and engaging aerial threats at-range while also being able to survive in contested airspace.
Established in 2015, the program was officially terminated in June of 2022 as less complicated, more affordable options were instead sought by the British Ministry of Defense.
For its part, the Mosquito - carrying the name of the famous British twin-engined attacker of World War 2, was to have involved Spirit AeroSystems Belfast of Northern Ireland in its construction. Flight evaluations were planned as soon as 2023 before project cancellation halted further development.
Team "Blackdawn" / "Mosquito" - made up of Bombardier Belfast (Spirit AeroSystems, Callen-Lenz, and Northrop Grumman UK - squared off against "Team Avenger" encompassing Boeing Defence UK and Blue Bear Systems Research. A 30 million pound contract was awarded to Team Mosquito in January 2021 to further its approach to a physical tech demonstrator for the project.
As shown in artist renderings, the drone was to have a chined fuselage with high-mounted, swept-back wing mainplanes capped by downturned tips, a dorsal-mounted intake for the air-breathing engine, and outward-canted V-style tailplane arrangement. It is assumed a wholly-retractable tricycle landing gear arrangement would have been used for ground-running purposes. An inherent stealth quality was part of the overall approach to the aircraft's design.
At any rate, the cancellation of the project has left the Mosquito as nothing more than a footnote in aviation history.
June 2022 - The Spirit Mosquito program has been formally cancelled by the British MoD.
Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UVAC) / Loyal Wingman.
1 x Afterburning turbofan of unknown make, model, and thrust output. Propulsion
Structure The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UVAC) / Loyal Wingman.
0 (UNMANNED) Crew
Armament Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UVAC) / Loyal Wingman .
Assumed internal weapons bay for the carrying / delivery of air-to-air missiles and rockets.
Variants Notable series variants as part of the Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito family line.
Mosquito - Project Name.
Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.
Total Production: 0 Units Contractor(s): Spirit AeroSystems (Bombardier Belfast); Callen-Lenz - Ireland / Northrop Grumman - USA
[ United Kingdom (planned, cancelled) ]
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Official image released to the public by the British Ministry of Defense.
Mission Roles Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.
AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
INTERCEPTION
GROUND ATTACK
AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING
ELECTRONIC WARFARE
RECONNAISSANCE
X-PLANE
UNMANNED
Recognition Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.
Going Further... The Spirit AeroSystems Mosquito Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UVAC) / Loyal Wingman appears in the following collections:
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