GA-ASI Gambit

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Week-Old News, but it seems like General Atomics has made a "3D-Printing agreement" with commercial automotive company and 3D-Printing firm Divergent Technologies to create 3D-printing technology that can be easily deployed, and then print Unmanned Air System drones at a much faster pace, for an overall cheaper cost. Might be related to the Gambit program as a whole.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/02...-agreement-with-automotive-startup-divergent/
 
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Why am I imaging a large ship with a hold full of drone cores (engine and auto-pilot) and a 3D printer?
Depending upon today's mission, they might 3D print a recce airframe around that core, but tomorrow they might 3D print a bomb-carrying attack airframe around an identical core. Late in the process they fine-tune the software to match the airframe. The latest software can be e-mailed to the far side of the planet in a matter of minutes.
That way prototypes can be flown discretely - back in the mountains of Northern Nevada - but never flown outside the Continental USA until they are fired in danger for the first time.

... similar to the way that the Royal Navy transmitted the latest Sidewinder software to Sea Harriers that were already at sea aboard an aircraft carrier sailing towards the Falklands (1982).
 

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……Waaat？

https://aviationweek.com/shownews/paris-air-show/ga-asi-plans-fly-large-ucav-demonstrator
“…….
GA-ASI intends to self-fund the Gambit 4 prototype through initial flight testing, then use the results to search for external funding sources, Alexander said.

The Gambit 4 proposes an advanced new propulsion system, with the Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0 as the basis for the prime mover of electric thrusters. The HFE itself is derived from the Thielert Centurion, an aircraft propulsion variant of the Mercedes-Benz OM668 automotive engine.

The 400-hp HFE 2.0 will deliver about 360 kW of power to electric motors, with a pair of 50-kW boosters available for takeoff power and payloads. ”
 
flateric said:
https://www.ga-asi.com/ga-asi-gambit-series-the-future-of-collaborative-combat-aircraft
Click to expand...
That's fascinating! Using a lower fuselage pallet that holds all the common bits, and then dropping a mission-specific outer airframe on it is a brilliant idea.

raptor82 said:
……Waaat？

https://aviationweek.com/shownews/paris-air-show/ga-asi-plans-fly-large-ucav-demonstrator
“…….
GA-ASI intends to self-fund the Gambit 4 prototype through initial flight testing, then use the results to search for external funding sources, Alexander said.

The Gambit 4 proposes an advanced new propulsion system, with the Heavy Fuel Engine (HFE) 2.0 as the basis for the prime mover of electric thrusters. The HFE itself is derived from the Thielert Centurion, an aircraft propulsion variant of the Mercedes-Benz OM668 automotive engine.

The 400-hp HFE 2.0 will deliver about 360 kW of power to electric motors, with a pair of 50-kW boosters available for takeoff power and payloads. ”
Click to expand...
So, electric ducted fans? Large RC planes have been using ducted fans for decades, but having a 400hp diesel engine providing electric power for them is new.
 
Of a CO note Gambit 4 on renderings (ex-MQ-NEXT or whatever you call it) has significant differences from Gambit 4 on sketches. As well as hybrid powerplant powered 'MQ-NEXT' from jet powered one. We'd expect massive pieholes.
 
Would Gambit 1 be suitable for AEW - perhaps with some modification of course?
 
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daviesg said:
Would Gambit 1 be suitable for AEW - perhaps with some modification of course?
Click to expand...
Possibly in conjunction with a ship mounted Over The Horizon system? (said ship would have to be pretty large though, and probably nuclear powered, so at least in the CAGN [Heavy Guided Missile Cruiser, Nuclear] range, and even that might not be large enough).
 
I'm lil sceptical about this common-core concept. But I'm happy to be proven wrong. IF it works, why wouldn’t it applied to manned aircraft as well?
 
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https://breakingdefense.com/2025/11...6-drone-wingman-for-air-to-ground-operations/
ROME — Manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) expanded its Gambit unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) series today with a new platform built for air-to-ground operations.

The Gambit 6 drone was announced at the Defence IQ International Fighter conference in Rome and is built around the concept of “getting after” Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) and deep precision strike missions, said Patrick “Mike” Shortsleeve, vice president of DoD strategic development at General Atomics.
Click to expand...
“The modular architecture and signature-reducing internal weapons bay of Gambit 6 allow for easy integration of advanced autonomy, sensors, and weapons systems, ensuring the aircraft can adapt to a wide range of operational scenarios,” GA-ASI president David R. Alexander said in a supporting company statement.

GA-ASI added that international customers will be able to acquire Gambit 6 from 2027, ahead of European “missionized versions” eligible for delivery in 2029.
Click to expand...
 
VTOLicious said:
I'm lil sceptical about this common-core concept. But I'm happy to be proven wrong. IF it works, why wouldn’t it applied to manned aircraft as well?
Click to expand...
I agree that common core is not always the best solution as it can sub-otimize capabilities. That said economy of effort and scale are not to be dismissed. I think the F-16 is an example of common core. Likewise C-130 comes to mind.
 
VTOLicious said:
I'm lil sceptical about this common-core concept. But I'm happy to be proven wrong. IF it works, why wouldn’t it applied to manned aircraft as well?
Click to expand...
It could as long as you are seeking derivatives and are okay trading away some performance for the sake of commonality, speed, and cost. CCA's given their expendable nature and no need for very high end performance is really good place to start which explains why AFRL included it as part of its ACP efforts.
 

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