The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently revealed that in September 2023, they conducted a flight test during which X-62A VISTA, an AI-controlled modified F-16 aircraft, flew against a manned jet for the first time. 

This one-of-a-kind mock dogfight took place at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. The agency has also released a video showing the two jets flying close to each other and performing aerial maneuvers.

DARPA developed X-62A in 2022 and has since completed 21 test flights. Many of these tests were conducted against simulated opponents. According to a press release, results from such tests have led to 10,000 changes to its software, finally making the AI-controlled jet worthy of facing a human pilot.

“The potential for autonomous air-to-air combat has been imaginable for decades, but the reality has remained a distant dream up until now. In 2023, the X-62A broke one of the most significant barriers in combat aviation. This is a transformational moment,” Frank Kendall, US Secretary of the Air Force, said.

It’s not about AI vs human pilots

When it comes to simulated fights, AI has shown in the past that it is no less than a human pilot. For instance, in 2020, DARPA held the AlphaDogfight competition in which AI programs fought against experienced US Air Force pilots in simulated combats. 

The main highlight of this event was an AI system developed by a company named Heron Systems. Surprisingly, the AI didn’t miss a single hit during the dogfight and beat a human pilot by 5-0. 

So does that mean AI can also fly jets as well as human pilots in real-world conditions? Well, the answer to this question is still unknown. This is because DARPA hasn’t revealed whether the X-62A emerged victorious against the manned aircraft during the recent testing. 

The agency stated that the dogfight is a part of their Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. It doesn’t view the recent test as some AI vs human pilot competition. Instead, the program aims to analyze the performance and safety of aerospace AI agents.

X-62A has successfully proved that it is possible to develop safe and reliable AI-controlled defense applications, according to DARPA.

“Industry can look to the results of what the X-62A ACE team has done as a paradigm shift. We’ve fundamentally changed the conversation by showing this can be executed safely and responsibly,” Col. James Valpiani, commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School, said.

Well, if they are so confident of X-62A’s capabilities, why don’t they just tell us who won the dogfight? When some reporters asked this question to ACE program manager, Lt. Col. Ryan Hefron, he said:

“Things are progressing as well or faster than we had hoped. But unfortunately, we can’t provide more detail.”

The risk with AI-powered weapon systems 

Fighter jets cost millions of dollars, they are loaded with lethal weapons, and their crashes could lead to the loss of human lives. When it comes to AI-controlled jets there’s always a chance anything could go wrong as the technology is still in the development phase.

This is why although AI algorithms can independently control X-62A during test flights, there are always human pilots on board who can take control of the aircraft in case of an emergency. 

Another big issue with aerospace and defense AI agents is trust. While many experts believe AI is the future of everything including national security, others don’t like the idea of using artificial intelligence in defense.

“When autonomous weapons can make decisions or select targets without direct human input, there is a significant risk of mistaken target selection,” Jessica Wolfendale, an expert on ethics of political violence from Case Western Reserve University, told Salon.

However, if one country begins to integrate AI into its weapon systems, there is no reason to believe other countries won’t follow suit. The US and China, for instance, are already in a race to deploy the best AI-controlled submarines and army robots.

So whether you like it or not AI-controlled fighter jets, robot soldiers, and weapon systems are coming. The best thing you can do is to hope that defense authorities and their technology partners will ensure their systems don’t go rogue.   

You can read the official press release here.