Lockheed Martin has announced the first successful use of artificial intelligence for the autonomous piloting of a combat fighter. The AI-controlled aircraft remained in the air for more than 17 consecutive hours and performed various maneuvers. This happened back in December 2021, as part of the work on the VISTA X-62A universal flying test vehicle project, which is now ready for use.
If during the Second World War the development of an attack aircraft, fighter or attack aircraft took up to 3 years, today the same F-35 Lightning II has been created for 20 years and by the time it is launched into a series it becomes hopelessly outdated. But more time is required for the training of pilots, for which ready-made copies of the aircraft are needed. In search of a solution to this problem, Lockheed Martin came up with the concept of the device, the characteristics of which can be quickly changed by software to simulate the functions of various models of new fighters.
Based on the proven F-16 Block 30 Peace Marble II airframe, which was equipped with new engines, as well as a number of electronic systems for simulating arbitrary configuration control systems. Thanks to this, the aircraft can reproduce in real time the flight characteristics of various AI-controlled prototypes in the sky. Also, it is a convenient training stand for training pilots – more precisely, it will become so in the future after certification .
