Aerial Duel Between US Pilot and AI in Military Experiment

An air combat exercise was organized by the American army between a human pilot and… artificial intelligence. While this is the first test of its kind, the US military has been testing the use of AI with fighter jets for years.

It's like Top Gun, or almost. DARPA, the US Army agency responsible for developing new technologies, announced on April 18, 2024 having organized an aerial combat between a human and an artificial intelligence. The flight, which took place in September 2023, pitted a human-piloted plane against an X-A62, which was controlled by an AI. DARPA says that although human pilots were on board the AI-driven plane, they did not need to intervene.

BFMTV, who spotted the newsspecifies that ” both planes began by testing standard defensive maneuvers, before moving on to the offensive repertoire “. They would have finished the exercise by doing “ direct confrontations at high speed “, at an altitude of 600 meters and 600 meters from each other.

An X-62 plane in flight over an American base // Source: US Air Force / Kyle Brasier — An X-62 plane in flight above an American base // Source: US Air Force / Kyle Brasier

There ” very first use » of AI in this context

“ This type of aerial combat is a very complex scenario », Indicates the American army in his press release. “ This test proved that it is possible to safely use artificial intelligence in aerospace. ” It was about ” the very first use » of the AI in this type of exercise carried out by the American army, and this flight will serve as a reference for “ future advances in aerospace AI. »

The American army indeed wants to continue experimenting with AI. “ Air combat was the problem to solve before we could begin testing autonomous artificial intelligence systems in the air » specifies Bill Gray, the chief test pilot. The army has been organizing test flights with artificial intelligence for years. As early as 2016, it boasted of having developed software superior to human pilots, and it organized a first test flight with an F-16 with an AI at the controls in 2017.

Will AI pilot fighter planes on its own in the future? For the moment, the option is not being studied. And most importantly, the US Army did not reveal who won the dogfight during the test.