Air & Space Forces Magazine By Greg Hadley
The artificial intelligence controlling the F-16 that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall flew in last week matched up well against an experienced human pilot in dogfights, Kendall said May 8. Kendall said he was surprised by surging media interest in his May 2 autonomous flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and shared new details on how the flight went and how it informed his thinking on AI.
Speaking at the Ash Carter Exchange, a conference in Washington, D.C., Kendall said the flight demonstrated “within-visual-range engagements” against a manned F-16, piloted by an Airman with “2,000 or 3,000 hours of experience.” Three different versions were tested in about 10-12 situations, with Kendall controlling when the AI took over. The AI then was able to maneuver the aircraft and could simulate an “engagement” with the adversary using short-range missiles or the F-16’s gun.
“It was roughly an even fight,” Kendall said. “But against a less experienced pilot, the AI, the automation would have performed better.”
Pilots with 2,000-3,000 flight hours are considered “senior pilots,” one step below the top rating of “command pilot.”
Kendall emphasized the AI is not yet ready to be deployed—but suggested it is well on its way to being so:
- “It’s making very good progress”
- “We’re on the right path, and we’re going to get to where we’re headed for”
- “It’s easy to see a situation where they’re going to be able to do this job, generally speaking, better than humans.”
Kendall’s enthusiasm for AI, or automation, dates back to a classified book he wrote for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency between stints in the Obama and Biden administrations, he said. In the book, he sought to envision the future of warfare across different domains and kept returning to the theme of automation…
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