The US Air Force has announced the successful completion of the first-ever air combat exercise between a piloted F-16 fighter jet and an experimental aircraft relying on artificial intelligence.
American officials reported that the successful efforts to integrate the X-62A VISTA aircraft into practical aerial combat could assist the Air Force in enhancing its plans for unmanned aerial vehicles. The VISTA is a significantly modified F-16 aircraft.
The US Air Force has utilized the aircraft to test cutting-edge aviation technologies for over three decades, and in recent years, it has been used to test autonomous flight capabilities.
The X-62A aircraft involved in the test carried two human pilots on board to intervene when necessary by pressing “safety buttons” to disable the AI autopilot system.