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On May 3, 2024, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall made a historic flight in an AI-controlled F-16.
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall rode in the cockpit of an artificial intelligence-controlled fighter jet as it flew over the California desert on Friday.
Last month, Kendall announced his plans to fly the AI-controlled F-16 before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, while talking about the future of air combat relying on autonomously operating drones.
A senior Air Force leader put his plan into action Friday for what could be one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the advent of stealth aircraft in the early 1990s.
Kendall flew to Edwards Air Force Base—the same desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier—to watch and experience the AI’s flight in real time.
The X-62A VISTA, the Air Force’s experimental F-16 fighter jet with artificial intelligence, takes off Thursday, May 2, 2024, from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The flight, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in the front seat, was a public statement about the future role of artificial intelligence in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate a fleet of 1,000 drones. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
After the flight, Kendall spoke with The Associated Press about the technology and its role in air combat.
The Associated Press and NBC were allowed to observe the secret flight and agreed, for security reasons, not to report on it until the flight was completed.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall sits in the forward cockpit of an X-62A VISTA aircraft Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The advanced AI-controlled F-16 aircraft demonstrates public confidence in the future role of artificial intelligence in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate a fleet of 1,000 drones. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups worry that artificial intelligence could one day autonomously take lives and are pushing for stricter restrictions on its use. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The artificially intelligent F-16, known as Vista, flew Kendall at more than 550 mph, exerting nearly five times the force of gravity on his body.
A manned F-16 was flying near Vista and Kendall, with the two planes circling within 1,000 feet of each other, trying to force them into submission.
Kendall grinned as he climbed out of the cockpit after an hour-long flight and said he had seen enough information to trust artificial intelligence technology to decide whether to shoot during a war.
Pentagon Seeks Low-Cost AI Drones to Support Air Force: Here Are the Companies Vying for the Opportunity
This image from a deleted video released by the U.S. Air Force shows Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall in the cockpit of an X-62A VISTA aircraft over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Thursday, May 2, 2024. Conducting experimental flights. Controlled Flight is a public statement about the future role of artificial intelligence in air combat. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Many people object to computers making such decisions, fearing that AI might one day drop bombs on people without consulting humans.
“There are widespread and serious concerns about the transfer of life and death decisions to sensors and software,” the group warned, adding that autonomous weapons “are an immediate cause for concern and require an urgent international policy response.”
An Air Force AI-enabled F-16 fighter (left) flies alongside an enemy F-16 as the two aircraft approach within 1,000 feet of each other in an attempt to force the enemy into a weak position. Thursday, May 2, 2024 in Edwards, California. Over the Air Force base. The flight was a public statement about the future role of artificial intelligence in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate a fleet of 1,000 drones. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The Air Force plans to have an AI fleet of more than 1,000 AI drones, the first of which will be operational in 2028.
In March, the Pentagon said it was seeking to develop a new aircraft with artificial intelligence and offered two contracts to several private companies competing with each other to win them.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program is part of a $6 billion plan to add at least 1,000 new drones to the Air Force. The drones will be designed to deploy alongside manned aircraft and provide cover for them, acting as a fully armed escort. Drones can also serve as surveillance aircraft or communications hubs, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall smiles after a test flight of the X-62A VISTA with a manned F-16 aircraft over Edwards Air Force Base, California, Thursday, May 2, 2024. AI-driven VISTA is a public statement about the future role of artificial intelligence in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate a fleet of 1,000 drones. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Companies vying for the contract include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries.
In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said the deployment of AI-powered autonomous vehicles would provide the U.S. military with a “small, smart, cheap and abundant” expendable force that would help reverse “the problem of America’s too-slow transition to military innovation.” “
But the idea is not to fall too far behind China, which has upgraded its air defense systems to make them more advanced and put manned aircraft at risk when they get too close.
Drones have the potential to disrupt such defense systems and could be used to jam them or surveil aircrews.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. © 2024 Fox News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes are displayed in real time or with a delay of at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Designed and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Notices. Mutual fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Post time: May-08-2024