When the orange-and-white F-16 took to the skies at noon as the sun brightened California, it seemed like a routine sortie. But it was nothing routine. The aircraft was operated by an AI (artificial intelligence) rather than a human, and U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was in the cockpit.
The AI-controlled F-16 was pitted against another human-piloted aircraft, representing one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth technology. This is a huge leap forward that could eliminate the need for human pilots.
Frank Kendall was very impressed with the demonstration and said he trusted the ability to decide whether to fire the weapon.
Kendall sat in the cockpit of an experimental F-16 jet, the X-62A, or VISTA (Variable In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft), flying over Edwards Air Force Base at ultra-high speeds of more than 850 miles per hour. The experiment pitted it against a human-piloted F-16, with both sides coming within 1,000 feet of each other and twisting and looping to force the other into a defensive position.
Kendall's flight came after the first known combat between a human pilot and an AI-controlled fighter jet in April. A fighter jet piloted by an AI competed against a fighter jet piloted by a human pilot in a training exercise. During the battle, aircraft flew at speeds of up to 1,200 miles per hour, often referred to as dogfights. One was a manned aircraft and the other was an AI-controlled F-16.
Kendall was in the air for an hour. The U.S. Air Force aims to have more than 1,000 AI-controlled jets in its fleet over the next few years.
“There's a security risk not having this. At this point, we have to have it,” Kendall said as he emerged from the cockpit. Vista showed impressive progress, outperforming human pilots in certain scenarios.
Pilots working on Vista hope to have the first squadron completed by 2028, and say the program is learning so quickly that some pilots have already defeated human pilots in combat. There is.
Vista's military operators claim that this type of AI aircraft is unique in the world, with the software learning from millions of data points first in a simulator and then during actual flight. Test that conclusion. Real-world performance data is fed into the simulator, and the AI processes it and absorbs learnings.
China has AI, but there is no evidence that it has been able to test it outside of a simulator.
An Indian Air Force fighter pilot said in an interview with EuroAsian Times that it will still take some time for AI to match the skill set of human pilots. Asked if there would be a surplus of fighter pilots, he said: “Maybe in the future…but maybe not right now.”
“A fighter pilot is only as good as the sensors and weapons he has. If you mean pure gunfight skills, AI vs. AI, or dogfights, it can take longer. Yes,” said a retired IAF fighter pilot. He has extensive experience flying various Russian and his NATO aircraft.
But Vista's operators claim otherwise. The first air combat with AI-controlled aircraft took place in his year 2023. There have been many dogfights since then, and the AI has learned a great deal, and some versions of Vista are already ready to beat human pilots in air combat.
AI in military aviation
The U.S. Air Force is aggressively integrating AI and aims to have a fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned combat aircraft by 2028. The USAF's strategy is driven by the vulnerabilities facing warfighters in the face of advances in electronic warfare.
The U.S. military is moving toward AI-powered aircraft, citing security concerns, cost efficiency, and strategic advantages.
However, concerns remain about giving AI the autonomy to use deadly weapons without sufficient human oversight. Humanitarian organizations have advocated for tighter regulations on the use of AI in warfare.
Kendall assured that human oversight will always be essential to the decision-making process regarding weapons deployment.
The transition to AI-piloted aircraft has raised questions about whether human pilots will be forgotten. While some recognize the potential for reduced demand for human resources, others emphasize the importance of maintaining the edge of AI technology to counter potential adversaries.
Future war scenarios envision swarms of U.S. drones proactively attacking enemy defenses, allowing the U.S. to breach airspace without risking the lives of its pilots.
But this change is also driven by money. Production delays and cost overruns are hampering the U.S. Air Force's modernization of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, costing an estimated US$1.7 trillion. Kendall argued that smaller, cheaper AI-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles are the future.
On the other hand, whether a computer can beat a human can be measured in a chess match. The first time a computer was able to beat a professional chess player was in the late 1980s. Their most notable victory was Deep Blue's victory over then world champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.
In another notable match in 2007, then-world champion Kramnik played six matches against computer program Deep Fritz in Germany. Kramnik has two losses and four draws.
Overall, machines are starting to defeat humans, and it won't be long before AI records a 100% kill rate against manned fighter pilots. However, in a competitive environment, we will see how these AI fighters perform against strong AD systems.
- Ritu Sharma has been a journalist for over a decade, writing about defense, foreign affairs and nuclear technology.
- The author can be contacted at ritu.sharma (at) mail.com.
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