AI takes the controls of a fighter jet to test its in-air combat skills

This aircraft is piloted with the aid of algorithms. — AFP Relaxnews

The US Army has tested various flight sequences entirely managed by artificial intelligence, including simulated combat. As a passenger in their own aircraft, a pilot can nonetheless deactivate the system at any time.

The US Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense, have taken a historic step in the active use of artificial intelligence in aviation. They have announced the successful completion of an innovative test program on the experimental X-62A “Vista”, a specially modified fighter jet used to test and train AI. The test program began in 2023.