The sixth generation fighter, created as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) project for the United States Air Force (Air Force), is likely to receive a co-pilot, represented by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The details of the corresponding program were disclosed by the Assistant for Procurement of the Secretary of the Air Force Will Roper, writes Popular Mechanics and Breaking Defense.
The manager is confident that the NGAD plane “will have an AI co-pilot, perhaps even [a chess-playing AI system] ARTUµ.” The AI system will play a supporting role in relation to the human pilot, he said. Roper noted that the main vulnerability of AI systems lies in their logic, while real military actions may not obey the latter, which would require a human presence to make decisions in non-standard situations.
In October, a Breaking Defense publication named the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II aircraft as one of the threats that could reduce funding for the NGAD program.
In September, Roper said that the Pentagon, in secrecy under the NGAD program, designed, built and at least once flew into the air an X-plane demonstrator, which means, in particular, a new generation unmanned or manned aircraft, including a fighter sixth generation.
