The US Air Force is preparing to add 1,000 artificial intelligence (AI) jets to its fleet as part of a $6 billion contract with a private developer, a new report reveals.
Cooperative Combat Aircraft (CCA) project AI-controlled planes will be able to perform missions that are too dangerous for manned aircraft, such as flying just 30 feet above the ground at speeds of 600 miles per hour. daily mail.
To put that into perspective, the speed of sound is approximately 767 miles.
The proposed jets could support human-piloted missions by escorting and protecting other planes, acting as reconnaissance aircraft, and carrying weapons to attack ground targets. Become.
Weapons developers Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and Anduril Industries are all vying to win multibillion-dollar contracts from the Pentagon.
The Department of Defense (DOD) hopes to select two competing companies to begin manufacturing the jet by summer 2024, with the aim of completing the project within five years.
The estimated cost of each jet is “$10 million to $20 million per aircraft.” daily mail I will report.
“By comparison, a manned F-35 costs $100 million new, while a B-21 bomber costs $750 million.”
by wall street journalthe interest in building autonomous systems is oppose “China’s threat.”
The unmanned jet will reportedly be smaller than most fighter jets but larger than other drone models, allowing it to supplement outdated air force forces.
“It offers a lot of capabilities that traditional manned combat aircraft weren’t designed for,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told the magazine.
California-based aerospace and defense technology company Shield AI is one of the leading developers of autonomous flight software.
