Much is not recognizable in the pictures of LOUT. But that is entirely in the interests of the inventors. Because the military drone, on which engineers of the aviation company Airbus secretly work for years, should rarely get anyone to face - for enemy radar equipment, it is allegedly almost invisible.
It is no coincidence that the form of the test model now presented by the corporation recalls stealth aircraft such as the Northrop B-2 or the Lockheed F-117. In contrast to such stealth aircraft, the LOUT drone (Low Observable UAV Testbed) should do without pilots - even if the published images suggest a pilot dome.
The 12 by 12 meter aircraft is perfect for secret missions. According to Airbus data, the drone could glide extremely quietly through the air, moreover, it should cause hardly measurable electromagnetic radiation and also provide no targets for heat detection systems of enemy missiles. For this, parts of the device are cooled. In the self-presentation of the group is also a gun shaft on the belly of the drone, which suggests that the aircraft could also be armed if necessary.
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Until now, the drone, which was partly equipped with radar-absorbing material, was only tested in simulations on the computer and in laboratories. The 2014 completed model has never flown.
And it is unclear, if it will happen at all. Although Airbus received an order from the Federal Ministry of Defense for the project, this includes only the development of the technology, not the completion of the aircraft.
The findings from the LOUT project are intended to advance another weapon system: In the construction of FCAS (Future Combat Air System), Germany and France are working on a common fighter jet. Airbus is also one of the companies involved.
By 2040, the two states want to build an aircraft that should replace the Eurofighter or the French Rafale. For the FCAS program but also drones are foreseen. The armament project is not least because of its high cost in the criticism. It could be up to 80 billion euros expensive. A Eurofighter, however, is comparatively cheap. It costs 130 million euros.
