AI Wingmen Still a Ways Off, but the Future is Closer Than Ever

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works gamed out the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence along with the University of Iowa's Operator Performance Laboratory using one of their L-29 Delfin jets, to reported success.

The test wasn't too intense, though, with only half of the combatants being a real aircraft from the start. That being said, a full-scale, live jet is a fine starting point, and a higher level of fidelity than similar tests often enjoy. The Delfin in question was given simulated-to-real transfer test objectives against a virtual adversary across defensive and offensive risk postures.

All in all, the team tried out 8 different test cases, to see how the AI agent would handle a variety of situations. That included head-to-head fights, off-aspect encounters, missile support for friendlies, and missile defeat scenarios against enemy aircraft.

"This was the first live exercise of the new flight interface; it's thrilling to see the separate components successfully integrate on the L-29 to demonstrate new capabilities. The complete system performed even better in live flight than in simulation," said Dr. Tom "Mach" Schnell, OPL professor at Iowa Technology Institute.

"Live flight tests are a crucial aspect of advancing our expertise in AI and autonomy. These flights are powerful demonstrations of our ability to quickly and affordably develop and test operationally relevant AI capabilities," said Matthew "Gabe" Beard, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works autonomy and machine learning engineering manager.

There's still plenty more to do, but the team feels they're on track to figure out the best way forward in no time.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com