Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall flew over the California desert on Friday, climbing into the cockpit of a fighter jet controlled by artificial intelligence.
Last month, Kendall spoke before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Committee about plans to fly an AI-controlled F-16 while discussing the future of air combat that relies on autonomous drones.
On Friday, senior Air Force leaders put their plan into action, achieving what could be the biggest advance in military aviation since stealth aircraft were introduced in the early 1990s.
Kendall flew to Edwards Air Force Base, the same desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, to observe and experience AI flight in real time.
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An X-62A VISTA aircraft, an experimental Air Force F-16 fighter jet equipped with AI, takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, Thursday, May 2, 2024. The flight was accompanied by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, whose front seat served as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate an unmanned squadron of 1,000 aircraft. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
After the flight, Kendall spoke to The Associated Press about the technology and its role in air combat.
“It’s a security risk not to have it. We have to have it at this point,” he said.
The Associated Press and NBC were allowed to monitor the secret flight with an agreement that neither would report on it until the flight was completed due to safety concerns.
Air Force chief plans to fly AI-controlled F-16 fighter jet this spring
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall sits in the forward cockpit of an X-62A VISTA aircraft Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The flight in an improved artificial intelligence-controlled F-16 was a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate an unmanned squadron of 1,000 aircraft. Arms control experts and humanitarian organizations are concerned that AI could one day be able to autonomously take lives, and are calling for stricter restrictions on its use. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
The AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, flew Kendall at speeds in excess of 550 miles per hour, exerting nearly five times the force of gravity on his body.
Flying alongside Vista and Kendall was a human-piloted F-16, the two jets competing in twists and loops within 1,000 feet of each other, trying to force the other into submission. did.
Kendall grinned as he emerged from the cockpit after an hour-long flight and said he had enough faith in AI technology to decide whether to fire a weapon during a war.
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This image from remote video released by the U.S. Air Force shows Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall during an experimental flight inside the cockpit of an X-62A VISTA autonomous fighter jet over Edwards Air Force Base, California, Thursday, May 2, 2024. ing. -Controlled flight serves as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
Many people oppose the idea of computers making such decisions, fearing that AI could one day be able to drop bombs on humans without consulting them.
The same people who oppose AI-powered war machines also want stronger restrictions on their use.
One group calling for stronger restrictions is the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The group warned that “there are growing serious concerns about relying on sensors and software to make life-and-death decisions,” and that autonomous weapons are “a cause for pressing concern and call for an urgent international political response.” “It’s been a long time coming,” he added.
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An Air Force F-16 fighter jet (left) equipped with AI flies next to an enemy F-16 on Thursday, May 2, 2024, as both aircraft race to within 1,000 feet of each other, leaving the enemy vulnerable. I’m trying to get into position. The flight serves as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate an unmanned squadron of 1,000 aircraft. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
Still, Kendall says there will always be human oversight when considering weapons.
The Air Force is planning an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 AI-operated drones, with the first aircraft expected to be operational by 2028.
In March, the Pentagon announced it was considering developing a new artificial intelligence-guided aircraft and proposed two contracts that private companies were competing to win.
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 weapon capabilities. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, drones could also serve as reconnaissance and communications hubs.
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Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall smiles after a test flight of an X-62A VISTA aircraft and a manned F-16 aircraft over Edwards Air Force Base, California, Thursday, May 2, 2024. His artificial intelligence-controlled VISTA serves as a public statement of confidence in the future role of AI in air combat. The military plans to use this technology to operate an unmanned squadron of 1,000 aircraft. (AP Photo/Damien Dovarganes)
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 the deployment of AI-powered self-driving vehicles would provide the U.S. military with consumables that are “smaller, smarter, cheaper, and more numerous” and that “the transition of U.S. military innovation is too slow.” ” will be useful for a fundamental review of the system.
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.
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Drones can interfere with such defense systems and could be used to sabotage or monitor crews.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
