The Agency for Promising Defense Development of the United States (DARPA) takes steps towards creating combat aircraft controlled by artificial intelligence. Recently, Systems and Technology Research received a contract for $ 11.3 million to participate in the second phase of Air (Artificial Intelligence Reinforces).
In the early stages, large contractors like Lockheed Martin and Bae Systems also participated in the program, but their participation in the second phase has not yet been confirmed. The purpose of the project is to create systems that can independently control an air battle in difficult and rapidly changing conditions. Moreover, new technologies should work on the basis of existing sensors and weapons. In the future, this should lead to the appearance of completely autonomous combat aircraft (UCAV) capable of performing missions without a pilot.
The Air program was a continuation of the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) project, in which the AI has already controlled the F-16 fighter.
