Europe Prepares for a Future With Fewer Fighter Jets—and More AI ‘Wingmen’

European countries are increasingly shifting attention from traditional fighter jets to AI-enabled ‘wingman’ aircraft in their accelerated rearmament drive, as governments across Europe confront decades of declining combat aircraft inventories and mounting concerns over their ability to sustain high-intensity warfare without extensive U.S. support.

At last week’s Berlin Air Show, a new generation of unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), also known as ‘loyal wingman’, emerged as one of the main attractions, underscoring Europe’s growing focus on integrating autonomous platforms into its future air combat strategy.

Unlike conventional drones, wingman aircraft are designed to act as force multipliers. They can carry sensors, electronic warfare systems, missiles and decoys while remaining under the supervision of a human pilot flying a crewed aircraft.

Military planners envision a future in which a single fighter pilot can command multiple autonomous aircraft simultaneously, significantly expanding battlefield reach while reducing risks to human operators.

Four defense firms showcased their competing visions for Europe’s future collaborative combat aircraft ecosystem at this year’s Berlin Air Show.

Airbus unveiled its U760 Ravenstorm unmanned escort aircraft, General Atomics promoted its YFQ-42A-based European collaborative combat aircraft concept, Boeing highlighted its MQ-28 Ghost Bat loyal wingman platform, and Germany’s Helsing demonstrated AI-enabled autonomous systems designed to integrate with crewed fighters.

Overall, these projects reflect a race among European and transatlantic defence companies to acquire a share in the future defense market shaped by an air warfare model built around teams of European and transatlantic defence companies.

However, more fundamentally, they reflect efforts to restore combat mass to Europe’s shrinking air forces by pairing expensive fighter jets with cheaper, expendable unmanned aircraft capable of carrying sensors, electronic warfare payloads and weapons. 

Following the end of the Cold War, most European militaries prioritised technological sophistication over fleet size, assuming that a stable security environment and robust U.S. backing would compensate for shrinking inventories. Over the past three decades, hundreds of legacy aircraft were retired without equivalent numerical replacements.

Today, Europe’s largest air forces operate only a fraction of the combat aircraft they fielded during the 1980s and 1990s. Germany relies primarily on roughly 130-140 Eurofighter Typhoons and ageing Tornado aircraft, France maintains around 230 combat aircraft centred on Rafale and Mirage 2000 fleets, while Britain operates approximately 150 frontline Typhoons and F-35Bs. The broader trend has left NATO increasingly concerned about sustaining attrition in a prolonged conflict.

Those concerns have intensified as the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of mass in modern warfare. Both Russia and Ukraine have shown that inexpensive drones can impose disproportionate costs on sophisticated military systems and overwhelm traditional air defence networks.

Military experts across the world have now realised that future air wars will be fought by interconnected networks of manned and unmanned systems rather than a handful of highly advanced fighters operating independently.

Also, modern fighter aircraft have become extraordinarily expensive to procure, operate and maintain. An F-35 costs more than $80 million per aircraft before lifecycle expenses are considered, while sixth-generation programmes are expected to become even more expensive. Wingman aircraft, by contrast, are being designed as “affordable mass” platforms that can be risked in dangerous missions without jeopardising scarce crewed assets.

Besides, European policymakers have become increasingly wary of excessive dependence on American military technology, thanks to the pressure from the U.S. on its allies to shoulder more responsibility for their own defense.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the United States was considering substantial reductions to assets allocated for NATO operations in Europe, including cuts to fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and aerial refuelling capabilities.

Basically, for decades, European air power was built around a relatively small number of exquisite, expensive aircraft backed by overwhelming American support, but now that assumption is being reassessed as Europe prepares for an era defined by long-range missiles, autonomous drones, electronic warfare and potentially reduced U.S. military involvement.

Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defence and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.