NEW DELHI: In the US Air Force, artificial intelligence is set to take the driver’s seat instead of the conventional pilot controlling an Air Force jet. According to Fox News, US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall flew an artificial intelligence-piloted fighter over the deserts of California on Friday.
Last month, Kendall announced his intention to pilot an AI-controlled F-16 to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, discussing the future of air warfare relying on autonomously piloted drones.
On Friday, a senior Air Force commander put his plans into action, achieving perhaps one of the most critical advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth aircraft in the early 1990s.
According to Fox News, the US Air Force plans to put more than 1,000 AI-controlled planes into service, with the first one operational by 2028.
Kendall traveled to Edwards Air Force Base, which is the same desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, to observe and participate in the AI flight in real time.
“Not having it is a security risk. We have to have it at this point,” the secretary said.
The AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, performed Kendall’s maneuvers at speeds in excess of 550 miles per hour, putting nearly five times the force of gravity on his body.
A human-controlled F-16 flew alongside Vista and Kendall. The two jets raced within 300 meters of each other, performing twists and loops in an attempt to force the opponent to surrender.
He said he had seen enough evidence to trust artificial intelligence technology when deciding whether to exploit weapons in war.
Kendall said human oversight will always be a factor when considering weapons.
The US Air Force plans to have a fleet of over 1,000 AI-controlled drones, with the first of them expected to be operational by 2028.
In March, the Pentagon announced plans to develop up-to-date aircraft controlled by artificial intelligence. He offered two contracts to several private companies so that they could compete with each other to win.
The CCA project, known as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft project, is part of the $6 billion program.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries are bidding for the contract.
The Pentagon is interested in implementing the project because cost cutting is one of the elements of AI that appeals to them.
In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said that deploying artificial intelligence-enabled autonomous vehicles would provide the U.S. military with “petite, intelligent, affordable, and many” disposable units, helping to change “the too-slow shift in American military innovation.”
Last month, Kendall announced his intention to pilot an AI-controlled F-16 to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, discussing the future of air warfare relying on autonomously piloted drones.
On Friday, a senior Air Force commander put his plans into action, achieving perhaps one of the most critical advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth aircraft in the early 1990s.
According to Fox News, the US Air Force plans to put more than 1,000 AI-controlled planes into service, with the first one operational by 2028.
Augment
“Not having it is a security risk. We have to have it at this point,” the secretary said.
The AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, performed Kendall’s maneuvers at speeds in excess of 550 miles per hour, putting nearly five times the force of gravity on his body.
A human-controlled F-16 flew alongside Vista and Kendall. The two jets raced within 300 meters of each other, performing twists and loops in an attempt to force the opponent to surrender.
He said he had seen enough evidence to trust artificial intelligence technology when deciding whether to exploit weapons in war.
Kendall said human oversight will always be a factor when considering weapons.
The US Air Force plans to have a fleet of over 1,000 AI-controlled drones, with the first of them expected to be operational by 2028.
In March, the Pentagon announced plans to develop up-to-date aircraft controlled by artificial intelligence. He offered two contracts to several private companies so that they could compete with each other to win.
The CCA project, known as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft project, is part of the $6 billion program.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries are bidding for the contract.
The Pentagon is interested in implementing the project because cost cutting is one of the elements of AI that appeals to them.
In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said that deploying artificial intelligence-enabled autonomous vehicles would provide the U.S. military with “petite, intelligent, affordable, and many” disposable units, helping to change “the too-slow shift in American military innovation.”
