Rapid advances in defense technologies are allowing artificial intelligence to play an increasingly active role on the battlefield. Recent dogfights between DARPA and the US Air Force’s AI-piloted fighter jets and human piloted aircraft are a testament to these advances.
In tests conducted within the framework of DARPA’s Air Combat Evaluation (ACE) program, the performance of an autonomous artificial intelligence F-16 pilot against a human-piloted F-16 was tested in a combat simulation. The flight skills of the artificial intelligence pilot pitted against human pilots were demonstrated in a demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base.
Dogfight between AI and Human Fighter Jets
The US Air Force’s experiments with an AI-powered jet, the X-62A VISTA, aim to increase the reliability of autonomous flight technology. The results of these experiments were obtained from real flight tests in which human pilots and AI pilots faced off in dogfights. While the skills demonstrated by the AI pilots are considered an important achievement in terms of national security, the fact that the winner was not announced is attributed to national security concerns. Rather than sharing the results of the dogfights, DARPA and the US Air Force aim to determine future strategies by evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on combat aircraft.At the same time, these tests show that the increasing use of artificial intelligence on the battlefield is inevitable. With the rapid development of AI technology, war strategies and security policies will also have to adapt. The confrontation between human pilots and AI pilots in dogfights can be considered an indicator of the transformation in combat technologies.DARPA and the US Air Force’s dogfights between AI-piloted fighter jets and human-piloted aircraft open the door to new eras in combat technologies. While these tests show how effective artificial intelligence can play on the battlefield, they can also have significant impacts on national security and strategic policies.Who Won the Human vs Robot Airplane Battle
“Progress has been better or faster than we expected, but we can’t provide more details,” said Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Hefron, DARPA’s ACE program manager. The US military will not announce the winner of the dogfight between an AI-controlled F-16 and a manned jet, citing national security concerns. According to Insider’s report, DARPA is keeping the results secret for security reasons.
