QinetiQ Jackdaw

Modular Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS)

United Kingdom | 2028

"Announced in September of 2023, the QinetiQ Jackdaw is a promising UAS with swarming capabilities coming out of Britain."

Image from official QinetiQ marketing materials / press release.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/15/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The "Jackdaw" Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) is a newly-announced drone concept by QinetiQ of Britain. The product is being billed as an affordable over-battlefield measure capable of swarming attacks with a high degree of modularity in-built. Beyond this, there is the promise of high-performance from a twin-engine arrangement, giving the Jackdaw enhanced capabilities in most any contested zone.

The versatility of the aircraft is such that the Jackdaw will be used to cover the gamut of standing battlespace requirements today: the typical Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) role, critical Electronic Warfare (EW) sorties, serve as an active / passive aerial decoy for allied warplanes, and as an active, direct-attack "swarming" solution against unfortunate ground targets. Additionally, this UAS will be able to operate over land or in the unforgiving maritime environment.

Artist renderings showcase a conventional aircraft design with a centralized tubular fuselage, low-mounted / rear-mounted swept-back mainplanes with clipped tips, and a single vertical tailfin over the rear. Outboard of either side of the rear fuselage will sit a pair of small engine nacelles.

Proposed operational range of the Jackdaw currently sits at three hours of flight time from the launch point. With its twinjet arrangement, the drone will have a maximum speed of 460 miles-per-hour and operate up to an altitude of 30,000 feet. Operation will be largely autonomous with direct-operator input as necessary.

The aircraft is to be designed from the outset to easily integrate into existing NATO / Western operating architectures, working with allied aircraft such as the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II strike platforms serving as 'mothership'. The internal payload will support up to 65 pounds in mission equipment with support for optional external loads proposed.

As it stands, the Jackdaw is a wholly unique, promising, and highly-optimistic venture in a world seeing growing reliance on drones to handle a bulk of the "dirty work" in contested airspaces. Make no mistake, the age of the drone is here as more and more companies and countries begin to throw their hat into the ring of this lucrative industry.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Jackdaw Modular Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS).

2 x Engines of unknown make, model, and output power positioned to each side of the rear fuselage.
Propulsion

460 mph
740 kph | 400 kts
Max Speed

30,003 ft
9,145 m | 6 miles
Service Ceiling

1,025 miles
1,650 km | 891 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Jackdaw Modular Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS).

0
(UNMANNED)
Crew

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the QinetiQ Jackdaw Modular Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) .

Mission equipment to satisfy the ISR role.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the QinetiQ Jackdaw family line.

Jackdaw - Base Series Name.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the QinetiQ Jackdaw. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): QinetiQ - United Kingdom

[ United Kingdom (possible) ]

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Image from official QinetiQ marketing materials / press release.

Going Further...
The QinetiQ Jackdaw Modular Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) appears in the following collections:

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