The United States military carried out a significant experiment, matching a piloted aircraft against an AI-controlled F-16. The AI-managed F-16D X-62A, also known as the Variable-stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA), engaged in an aerial combat session last year.
Recently this information was revealed by the US Air Force and DARPA. ‘The trials demonstrated the potential for machine learning to revolutionise aerial combat tactics’, said the military officials.
During the September 2023 dogfight, humans were present on the AI-controlled jet with the ability to deactivate the AI.
Both aircraft engaged in close encounters, approaching within 2,000 feet at speeds of 1,200 miles per hour. The outcome of the dogfight was not revealed.
Bill Gray, the chief test pilot at the Air Force’s Test Pilot School, stressed the importance of dogfighting in advancing autonomous AI systems for many aerial tasks. The ACE programme, which started in December 2022, has conducted 21 test flights, leading to software modifications.
‘Frank Kendall, Secretary of the US Air Force, informed the US Senate about plans to introduce an autonomously flown F-16 later 2024, with a pilot observing as the technology operates’, according to the media reports.
The aim is for the technology to be fully capable without human intervention, highlighting the evolving role of AI in military aviation.
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