increase speed? US Air Force selects AI brain for 'unmanned wingman'
2024-08-02
According to US media reports, the US Air Force recently revealed that it has selected five companies to develop autonomous "brains" for its unmanned wingmen, supporting the first batch of unmanned "collaborative combat aircraft" (CCA). At the same time, the selection of the first batch of collaborative combat aircraft in the United States is also in full swing. The United States plans to equip approximately 1000 unmanned wingmen capable of coordinating with manned fighter jets, and the Asia Pacific region will be an important "target area" for it. General Nuclear Corporation's "Abandoned Troops" series of unmanned aerial vehicles development ideas. On July 30th, Defense News website reported that five mysterious companies have been selected by the US military. According to Brigadier General Jason Waheas, the executive officer of the US Air Force Fighter and Advanced Aircraft Program, a few months ago, the US Air Force awarded contracts to the five companies. Due to security concerns, he did not want to disclose the names of the selected companies. Waheas described the "Autonomous Operation Software Package" program as the "brain" of the US Air Force's future "Collaborative Combat Aircraft" (CCA). These unmanned wingmen will collaborate with manned fighter jets such as the F-35 to carry out a range of tasks including attack, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. The US Air Force plans to equip at least 1000 CCA by the late 1930s. Chinese military expert Zhang Xuefeng stated in an interview with Global Times that the US has not disclosed the specific technical route of these autonomous operation technologies, but it is clear that artificial intelligence technology will be used. This means that the US's collaborative combat aircraft is likely to become the first batch of drones to adopt true artificial intelligence technology. According to Zhang Xuefeng, previously, different departments of the US military have developed artificial intelligence agents that can be used in fighter jets through multiple plans, and there is a group of companies with such potential. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) organized the Alpha Combat Test (ADT) under the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, while the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)'s Autonomous Air Combat Operations (AACO) program focuses on developing mid-range air combat capabilities. The US Air Force also conducted on-site testing of some intelligent agents using the X-62A aircraft, which is an improved validation aircraft based on the F-16. The US Air Force is working hard to build the fuselage, which is a collaborative combat aircraft, while selecting the "brain" for unmanned wingmen. According to the website of the US "War Zone", initially five companies participated in the design of "Increment 1" (Phase 1 CCA program), namely Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Andulier. Dozens of other companies are supporting the plan by developing proprietary technologies, sensors, and other mission systems, as well as command and control capabilities. In April of this year, the US Air Force announced that General Atomics and Andulier were selected to advance the "Increment 1" program. Many other achievements, including DARPA's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, are being directly incorporated into the CCA program. According to the "Theater Command", General Atomics' first CCA fighter jet is currently being assembled. In order to speed up the process, some components originally manufactured for the MQ-9 "Reaper" are being used to help expedite this work. The CCA design of General Atomics is mainly based on the XQ-67A unmanned aerial vehicle, which was developed under the "Off Aircraft Sensor Station" (OBSS) program of the US Air Force Research Laboratory. The XQ-67A and its CCA design are utilizing the achievements of the company's "Abandoned Soldier" series of drones. Anduril's CCA is designed based on the "Fury" drone. According to Zhang Xuefeng, the XQ-67A validates the aircraft genus/species concept jointly implemented by General Atomics and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, which is a highly modular concept. According to the plan, different models of aircraft can be built based on the same core chassis. The chassis includes core subsystems such as three-point landing gear, avionics system, artificial intelligence brain, and engine. Then, based on this chassis, design different wings, fuselage, and control systems to form different aircraft. This is a bit like developing different car models based on the same chassis or platform. According to Defense News, the US Air Force plans to award the production contract for the first phase of CCA as early as 2026. And the US Air Force may choose to purchase aircraft or systems from both suppliers simultaneously. If multiple types of aircraft are ultimately chosen, the procurement share may not be 50-50. According to the "Theater Command," the US Air Force also expects the second phase of the CCA drone program, known as "Increment 2," to begin in fiscal year 2025, with core requirements largely yet to be determined but may include foreign participants. At the same time, the US Air Force has actively collaborated with the US Navy and Marine Corps on various aspects of the CCA program and related technologies, including seamless exchange of drone control between different branches in future operations. According to the "Theater Command", the current plan of the US Air Force is to purchase 100 CCA in the first phase, and it is expected that these highly autonomous drones will work closely with manned fighter jets, especially stealth fifth generation and ultimately sixth generation fighter jets. Zhang Xuefeng believes that General Nuclear Corporation's naming of its unmanned wingman as "Abandoned Soldier" implies the use of CCA aircraft: one important role of CCA drones is to serve as a "substitute" for manned aircraft, performing dangerous tasks in dangerous areas. An important application area for CCA drones in the future is in the Asia Pacific region. But the US base group in the Asia Pacific region is separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, which requires high range for aircraft. Under cost constraints, how to strike a balance between range, maneuverability, payload, and speed on a limited aircraft is an important issue facing the US Air Force. The United States has developed a series of unmanned wingmen in an attempt to find an optimal solution, which itself reflects the contradictory mentality of the US military. (New Society)
Edit：Xiong Dafei Responsible editor：Li Xiang
Source：XinHuaNet
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