{"id":17075,"date":"2023-08-06T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=17075"},"modified":"2023-08-05T09:00:08","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T06:00:08","slug":"us-air-force-conducts-first-xq-58a-flight-piloted-by-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-air-force-conducts-first-xq-58a-flight-piloted-by-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"US Air Force conducts first XQ-58A flight piloted by AI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The United States Air Force conducted a three-hour long flight of a Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aircraft piloted by artificial intelligence. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) released a statement on August 2, 2023, saying that the flight took place at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on July 25, 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three-hour-long flight used an AFRL-developed machine-learning-trained, artificial intelligence algorithm on an XQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft. The software has been under development for more than two years now by AFRL\u2019s Skyborg Vanguard team under the Autonomous Aircraft Experimentation (AAx) programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief of USAF AI Test and Operations Colonel Tucker Hamilton said that \u201cThe 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 \u201cchallenge problem\u201d during airborne operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamilton added that \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFRL\u2019s statement highlighted that XQ-58A uses a set of algorithms that were developed using \u201cmillions of hours in high fidelity simulation events\u201d, sorties using the Lockheed Martin X-62 Vista, a test aircraft based on the F-16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI will be a critical element to future warfighting and the speed at which we\u2019re going to have to understand the operational picture and make decisions,\u201d an AFRL commander Brigadier General Scott Cain said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie system on launch trailer. (Image Credit: Kratos)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI, 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,\u201d Cain added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


AI Wingman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kartos XQ-58 Valkyrie is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by the Kratos’ Unmanned Systems Division (KUSD). The plane was initially developed to provide wingman support to fighter pilots for the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft has been designed for stealth and speed. The XQ-58A variant of the aircraft used artificial intelligence to increase its precision and swift decision-making abilities for the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Specification:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n