AI controls XQ-58A Valkyrie in three-hour mission

The flight of US Air Force Research Laboratory (ARFL)-developed test units took place on July 25, 2023 at the Eglin Test and Training Complex in Florida, and builds on four years of partnership that began with the Skyborg Vanguard and the Autonomous Aircraft Experimentation (AAx) programs.

In a statement, Col. Tucker Hamilton, chief, AI Test and Operations, for the US Department of the Air Force said: “The mission proved out a multi-layer safety framework on an AI/ML-flown uncrewed aircraft and demonstrated an AI/ML agent solving a tactically relevant ‘challenge problem’ during airborne operations.

MORE FROM DEFENCE & SECURITY

“This sortie officially enables the ability to develop AI/ML agents that will execute modern air-to-air and air-to-surface skills that are immediately transferrable to other autonomy programs.”

The algorithms were developed by AFRL’s Autonomous Air Combat Operations team and matured during millions of hours in high fidelity simulation events, sorties on the X-62 VISTA, Hardware-in-the-Loop events with the XQ-58A, and ground test operations.