VISTA X-62A, a training aircraft, was flown by an artificial intelligence agent for more than 17 hours recently, representing the first time AI engaged on a tactical aircraft. The aircraft completed the flight without human intervention. The pilot flight was carried out by the aerospace company Lockheed Martin. It was the first time artificial intelligence was used to pilot such a tactical aircraft.
The test flight was carried out with the VISTA X-62A (Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft), which can mimic the characteristics of other aircraft in the air. The flight took place from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Artificial intelligence: The pilot of the future
The VISTA X-62A, a modified version of the F-16D Block 30 Peace Marble II aircraft with upgraded Block 40 components, was developed by Lockheed Martin in collaboration with the Air Force and Calspan. “VISTA will allow us to parallelize the development and test of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques with new uncrewed vehicle designs,” said Dr M. Christopher Cotting, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School director of research. “This approach, combined with focused testing on new vehicle systems as they are produced, will rapidly mature autonomy for uncrewed platforms and allow us to deliver tactically relevant capability to our warfighter.”
The 17-plus hour flight by an AI agent took place as part of a series of tests in December. According to Lockheed Martin, “this new mission system capability with VSS, MFA, and SACS emphasize advancing autonomous aircraft algorithm development and integration. At the heart of the SACS system is the Skunk Works Enterprise-wide Open Systems Architecture (E-OSA) which powers the Enterprise Mission Computer version 2 (EMC2) or Einstein Box”.
“Additional SACS components include integration of advanced sensors, a Multi-Level Security solution, and a set of Getac tablet displays in both cockpits. These components enhance VISTA’s capabilities while maintaining its rapid-prototyping advantage, specifically allowing for quick software changes to increase the frequency of flight test flights and accelerating the pace of AI and autonomy development to meet urgent national security needs”.
Lockheed Martin, based in Maryland, announced that it would continue to develop artificial intelligence for the US Air Force in 2023, to develop autonomous fighter aircraft.
AI in the military
Modern military operations, whether they involve combat engagements or relief missions in major natural or other disasters, require complex decisions to be made quickly. This is where artificial intelligence comes in. In the military, artificial intelligence is already used to identify, monitor and analyze a situation. In the future, it could autonomously select targets, for example controlling swarms of unmanned aircraft (drones), but also be used in nuclear control systems.
Artificial intelligence is evolving at a rapid pace. Interest is already focused on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in the military and other areas of technology. US military officials believe that such technology will limit the possibility of human error, which can cost lives in either a military operation or a humanitarian mission.
