Q&A · 1:02:27-1:03:00

Could a Swordfish-style aircraft operate without a crew

Simple controls and engine reliability make the Swordfish appealing as an uncrewed-aircraft concept.

Question

Could a Swordfish-style aircraft become an uncrewed platform for sonobuoys and torpedoes?

Short answer

Its simple controls make the idea plausible, provided a modern derivative could also reproduce the original engine's reliability.

Notes

A viewer connects the proposed sonobuoy and torpedo carrier with the Fairey Swordfish. Its simple flying surfaces and controls make an uncrewed derivative seem feasible. Engine reliability is a separate attraction, and reproducing that reliability in a modern powerplant would matter as much as automating the controls. This is a design possibility without an existing aircraft programme identified.