X-62A flies 17 hours under AI control

A series of tests flown in December saw the X-62A VISTA flown for 17+ hours under AI control. It's the first time that an AI was engaged on a tactical aircraft. The X-62A is a modified F-16D Block 30, with Block 40 avionics, that's designed to simulate other types of aircraft's flying characteristics. Upgrades include Calspans updated VISTA Simulation System, Lockheed's Model Following Algorithim, and System for Autonomous Control of the Simulation. VISTA will be leading the way in AI development and autonomy capabilities for the USAF in the coming years.

EDWARDS AFB, Calif., Feb. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) VISTA X-62A, a one-of-a-kind training aircraft, was flown by an artificial intelligence agent for more than 17 hours recently, representing the first time AI engaged on a tactical aircraft.

VISTA, short for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, is changing the face of air power at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

VISTA is a one-of-a-kind training airplane developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® in collaboration with Calspan Corporation for the USAF TPS. Built on open systems architecture, VISTA is fitted with software that allows it to mimic the performance characteristics of other aircraft.

"VISTA will allow us to parallelize the development and test of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques with new uncrewed vehicle designs," said Dr. M. Christopher Cotting, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School director of research. "This approach, combined with focused testing on new vehicle systems as they are produced, will rapidly mature autonomy for uncrewed platforms and allow us to deliver tactically relevant capability to our warfighter."

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a reply to: putnam6

I couldnt have meme'd this better myself

Yeah this does not seem like something that is going to be looked back on as a good idea.

Watching. Always watching.

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