The Air Force is "tak[ing] a few months right now to figure out whether we've got the right design and make sure we're on the right course," said Secretary Frank Kendall, while other NGAD elements move forward.
“The potential for machine learning in aviation, whether military or civil, is enormous,” said Air Force Col. James Valpiani. “And these fundamental questions of how do we do it, how do we do it safely, how do we train them, are the questions that we are trying to get after.”
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
DARPA used the collaborative to find and contract the industry competitors in the AlphaDogfight which resulted in an AI 'pilot' built by Heron Systems beat a top Air Force F-16 pilot in a simulated WWII-style aerial battle.
After an AI beat humans 5-0 in AlphaDogfight simulations this summer, Mark Esper announced, a future version will be installed in actual airplanes for “a real-world competition.” But military AI will adhere to strict ethical limits, he said.
"It's a giant leap," said DARPA's Justin (call sign "Glock") Mock.
"Before AI can find its place, really, in the cockpit in a formation, it kind of has to earn its wings first," DARPA Deputy Director David Honey says.
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.