Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2024 - 37

Application Briefs
AI Algorithms Pilot X-62A in First Aerial Dogfight
Air Force Test Pilot School
Edwards Air Force Base, CA
661-277-3510
www.edwards.af.mil
T
he U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) and the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency have reported another
major breakthrough for the artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms
or " agents " that have been flying their modified F-16
test aircraft known as VISTA X-62A in a series of flight tests
since 2022.
In an April 17 update, the Air Force Research Laboratory
(AFRL) reported on the use of AI algorithms to complete
their first ever demonstration of an AI-controlled fighter jet
against a human-controlled fighter jet for a simulated in-air
dogfight. The AI-controlled dogfighting breakthrough
occurred at Edwards Air Force Base, California in September
2023, however, AFRL and DARPA have not released details
about it until now.
The X-62A was developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
in collaboration with Calspan Corporation for the USAF TPS.
Built on open systems architecture, X-62A is equipped with
software that allows it to mimic the performance characteristics
of other aircraft.
The Air Force effectively summarizes " dogfighting " as aerial
combat occurring between fighter jets at close range. The
demonstration is considered a major breakthrough for the use of
AI algorithms to control a fighter jet not only in a dog fighting
scenario, but it proves that the algorithms can complete nearly
every type of operation or maneuver that a human pilot can.
During the tests, the X-62A is always flown with safety pilots
onboard that have the ability to independently disengage the
UAV In-Flight Software Upgrades
Collins Aerospace
Cedar Rapids, IA
781-522-3000
www.collinsaerospace.com
A
s a U.S. Army lieutenant general, Eric Wesley spent a lot of
time thinking about how to share information on the battlefield.
There are millions of sensors collecting data across
space, at sea and on land, but bandwidth is limited, security is
a concern, and sometimes, the devices aren't built to talk to
each other.
The vision to connect all those devices is called multi-domain
operations, and when Wesley retired, he made it his personal
mission to turn that vision into reality. In 2022, he
became CEO of startup Parasanti, which seeks to make military
devices more capable through software that maximizes
their processing power and provides a shared language for systems
that were previously incompatible.
Aerospace & Defense Technology, June 2024
mobilityengineeringtech.com
37
aircraft's flight management computer from the control of the
AI agents. During the dogfights, the safety pilots did not have
to deactivate the AI agents' control of the aircraft. The tests featured
the AI agents in " nose-to-nose engagements where the
dogfighting aircraft got as close as 2,000 feet at 1,200 miles per
hour, " according to AFRL.
" It's very easy to look at the X-62A ACE [Air Combat Evolution]
program and see it as under autonomous control, it can
dogfight, but that misses the point, " said Bill Gray, the Test
Pilot School's Chief Test Pilot. " Dogfighting was the problem to
solve so we could start testing autonomous artificial intelligence
systems in the air. Every lesson we're learning applies to
every task you could give to an autonomous system. "
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall also completed a
flight in the X-62A in May to " personally witness AI in a simulated
combat environment, " according to AFRL.
www.edwards.af.mil
http://www.edwards.af.mil http://www.edwards.af.mil http://www.collinsaerospace.com http://mobilityengineeringtech.com
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2024

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