A.I. Comes to the U.S. Air Force

The Department of Defense lacks standardized guidance for acquiring and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) at speed, hindering the adoption of cutting-edge technology by warfighters and leaving a gap between US capabilities and those of adversaries like China. The Pentagon needs to create agile acquisition pathways and universal standards for AI to accelerate its integration into the defense enterprise.

The Pentagon can learn valuable lessons about harnessing AI from the historical development of carrier aviation, including the importance of realistic experimentation, navigating bureaucracy effectively, and empowering visionary personnel, in order to fully grasp the scope of AI's potential military impact.

Russia's efforts to establish itself as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) remain largely aspirational, as its military has not been able to effectively operationalize AI-enabled combat capabilities, according to experts. Russia has focused on AI development, but its military applications have not met its ambitions.

The Air Force is developing pilotless AI-powered drones, known as collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), to act as a supplement to traditional fighter jets, raising questions surrounding the role of humans in conflicts waged with lethal autonomous weapons. The CCA program, which aims to build 1,000 to 2,000 drones at an affordable cost, represents a seismic shift in Air Force procurement, shifting the focus to software that can enhance weapon systems and opening opportunities for new technology firms to compete with traditional defense contractors.

The US Air Force plans to spend $5.8 billion on up to 2,000 AI-powered drones that will work alongside human pilots, with each drone costing around $3 million.

The Israeli Defense Ministry has introduced a new surveillance aircraft equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which will provide the Israel Defense Forces with enhanced intelligence capabilities through efficient and automated data processing in real-time.

The U.S. Air Force's development of an AI-run pilotless aircraft, the XQ-58A Valkyrie, has the potential to provide a cost-effective advantage in warfare, but raises ethical concerns about the deployment of such powerful technology.

Lockheed Martin and the University of Iowa have successfully demonstrated artificial intelligence-controlled mission capabilities using piloted aircraft, showcasing the potential for autonomous uncrewed systems to collaborate with crewed platforms in combat operations.