USAThe Air Force recently conducted its first official AI-controlled fighter test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California, with only a few media representatives including the Associated Press invited to observe. The U.S. Air Force has made it clear that AI fighters will be an important part of the future U.S. air force.
Although the system has only completed more than 20 actual flights since its first flight in September 2023, U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall still chose to take a flight to experience the AI's flying capabilities.This is thanks to the rapid learning of the software in recent months, and its performance is said to have surpassed that of some human pilots.An F-16 fighter jet piloted by a real person was also dispatched for this test flight, and the two sides conducted a simulated air combat exercise.
The AI system first learns through a simulator, then verifies its learning in actual flight, and then feeds the results back to the simulator to continuously improve itself. Currently, the United States appears to be the only country that uses AI to control military aircraft in actual combat.
The U.S. Air Force plans to launch its first unnamed AI fighter as early as 2028, and eventually build a fleet of more than 1,000 AI fighters. Kendall said that not having such technology will become a security risk in the future. However, some humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross are worried that AI may decide to use weapons autonomously in the future. In this regard, Kendall emphasized that when using weapons, the system will always be monitored by humans.
Another reason the U.S. Air Force is turning to AI-controlled fighter jets is cost considerations. Due to some recent major expenditures, the U.S. Air Force needs to strictly control its budget. In the future, through unmanned design, aircraft can be miniaturized and cost-effective, thereby reducing overall expenses.