For the first time ever, a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor took control of Anduril’s AI-piloted drone fighter, the FQ-44 Fury, in flight testing earlier this month.
This marks a huge step toward the operational integration of these drone fighters, which are already in serial production and are expected to reach service in the next few years.
According to Air and Space Forces Magazine, the Raptor served as an “airborne quarterback,” sending high-level tactical directives to the drone fighter to carry out, with the drone’s onboard autonomy suite interpreting and executing those orders through “dynamic flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks.”
This is not the first time a manned aircraft – or an F-22 – has controlled AI-piloted drones, but it does mark the first time the F-22 has taken control of one of the actual drone fighters making their way to service, rather than a drone stand-in like General Atomics’ MQ-20 Avenger.
The U.S. has been flying real combat aircraft under AI control in testing for years already.
In fact, the Air Force has been flying real F-16s under AI control in simulated dogfights against human pilots since December 2022, and is currently integrating the same AI-control apparatus into five more combat-coded F-16s for continued testing.
Ultimately, the knowledge the Air Force gains from these efforts will be leveraged by the world’s first operational drone fighters, Anduril’s FQ-44 Fury and General Atomics’ FQ-42 Vengeance, before going on to benefit at least five more increments of drone fighter designs for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.
The effort will also help human pilots become accustomed to operating alongside drone wingmen; streamline the command interface between human and machine; and teach the Air Force how to effectively integrate autonomous systems into larger and much more complex combat formations.
Despite the incredible computational power delivered by AI, these algorithmic systems struggle to extrapolate outside of their training parameters. So, by placing a human-in-the-loop to handle the high-level strategic thinking, even in the face of imperfect or incomplete information (something else AI struggles with), it allows the autonomous drones to focus specifically on completing their tasks as assigned – which is something they are exceedingly good at doing.
The air superiority-focused F-22 will be the first American fighter to be paired with Increment 1 collaborative combat aircraft, or CCAs, that were designed for the air combat mission. Soon after, newly upgraded Block 4 F-35s and 6th-generation fighters now in development for the Air Force and Navy will also be paired with CCAs.
The Air Force intends to have about 500 CCA drone fighters in service by 2032, with an eventual drone fighter fleet strength of 1,000 aircraft not long thereafter. Each drone will take its cues from airborne fighters, bombers, or control aircraft, as well as surface stations in ground facilities and aboard warships at sea.
Feature Image: U.S. Air Force Maj. Josh Gunderson, F-22 Demo Team commander, rolls into a reposition for the next maneuver during a demonstration for the 67th National Security Forum at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, May 11, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Don Hudson)
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