The Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie, seen here on its maiden flight, is among unmanned combat aerial vehicles being tested by the US Air Force. ( Kratos Defense & Security Systems )
Drone fighter planes 'being programmed for mid-air dog fights against human pilots'
Drone fighter planes capable of thinking for themselves in mid-air dog fights against enemy human pilots are being developed by US military researchers. Autonomous aircraft equipped with artificial intelligence and pre-programmed with vast hours of training time are being readied to test against real-life Top Guns in fighter jets as early as next year, according to a US general's email exchange with a senior military scientist.
If future trials are successful, the technology could usher in a new era of warfare with robot planes that adapt to situations in mid-air without the need for a person on the ground remotely-controlling their moves.
During a video interview with the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies, Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan, director of the Pentagon's Joint Artificial Intelligence Centre, described the unmanned fighter drone programme as a “bold idea”.
