Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told U.S. senators on Tuesday that he will climb into the cockpit of an aircraft piloted by artificial intelligence to experience technology for the military’s future fleet.
Kendall spoke before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Committee on Tuesday about the future of air combat that relies on autonomous drones.
In fact, the Secretary of the Air Force is pushing to acquire more than 1,000 AI-operated drones, with plans to have one in the air later this spring.
The aircraft they will be flying will be an F-16 modified for flying drones.
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U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told the Senate Appropriations Committee that he plans to fly self-driving aircraft during the spring. (Senate Appropriations)
“I have pilots with me who are just watching the autonomous technology work,” Kendall said. “I hope he and I don’t have to fly planes anymore.”
Last month, the Pentagon announced it was considering developing a new artificial intelligence-guided aircraft and offered two contracts for private companies to compete for.
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) project is part of a $6 billion program to add at least 1,000 new unmanned aircraft to the Air Force. The drones will be designed to be deployed alongside human-piloted jets, providing cover for the jets and acting as escorts with full weapons capabilities. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, drones could also serve as reconnaissance and communications hubs.
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A drone resembling a Boeing MQ-28 Ghostbat fighter jet is on display at the Australian International Air Show in Avalon, Australia, on February 28, 2023. (Reuters/Jamie Freed)
Companies bidding on the contract include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and Anduril Industries.
Cost reduction is one of the elements of AI that makes the project attractive to the Department of Defense.
In August 2023, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said that deployed AI-powered self-driving cars will provide the U.S. military with consumables that are “small, smart, cheap, and abundant” and will “become a slow-to-start pace of U.S. military innovation.” It will be useful for a fundamental review of “transition”.
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A model of General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle on display during the Farnborough International Air Show 2022 in Farnborough, UK, on July 19, 2022. The 2022 Farnborough International Airshow will host leading innovators from the aerospace, aviation and defense industries. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
Military officials have been silent on what the drones will actually look like in terms of full-size airplanes or smaller sizes.
But the idea is to avoid falling too far behind China, which has modernized its air defense systems. Air defense systems are much more sophisticated and are at risk if manned planes get too close.
Drones can interfere with such defense systems and could be used to sabotage or monitor crews.
“The original role of this aircraft was anti-aircraft, but it could potentially do other things as well,” Kendall said at the hearing.
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He also said a new drone fleet would likely be cheaper than developing new manned jets. The goal is to make the drones less than about a third of the $20 million it costs to build an F-35 fighter jet.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
