The Air Force Research Laboratory successfully tested the XQ-58A Valkyrie.
The aircraft uses artificial intelligence in piloting.
According to DAF AI Test and Operations Chief Col. Tucker Hamilton, “The mission proved out a multi-layer safety framework on an AI/ML-flown uncrewed aircraft and demonstrated an AI/ML agent solving a tactically relevant “challenge problem” during airborne operations.”
“This sortie officially enables the ability to develop AI/ML agents that will execute modern air-to-air and air-to-surface skills that are immediately transferrable to other autonomy programs,” he continued.
AACO Program Manager Dr. Terry Wilson noted, “AACO has taken a multi-pronged approach to uncrewed flight testing of machine learning Artificial Intelligence and has met operational experimentation objectives by using a combination of High-performance computing, modeling and simulation, and hardware in the loop testing to train an AI agent to safely fly the XQ-58 uncrewed aircraft.”
Brig. Gen. Scott Cain explained that AI will be a “critical element” in the future of warfare and the “speed at which we’re going to have to understand the operational picture and make decisions.”
“AI, Autonomous Operations, and Human-Machine Teaming continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace and we need the coordinated efforts of our government, academia, and industry partners to keep pace,” he said.
Reporting from The Blaze:
The Air Force requested $5.8 billion through fiscal year 2028 for its CCA program, which it plans to use to create AI-powered wingmen to pilot fighter jets. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall previously stated that he plans to use 1,000 CCAs that “will complement and enhance the performance of our crewed fighter force structure.”
