A Human Pilot Battled An AI-Controlled F-16 In A Real Dogfight - Here's What Happened
Story by Alec Hively • 18h
Everyone is working to find how artificial intelligence can give them a leg up in their respective fields, and the U.S. military is no different. From enhancing the capabilities of battle-tested drones to overhauling its IT management and battlefield decision-making processes, the U.S. military is using AI to change its approach to warfare in hopes of staying on the cutting edge of global defense developments. One of the most innovative applications of this technology is in aerial combat, where the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has spent the last four years building AI combat applications. One project is its Air Combat Evolution program, which looks to build AI-driven solutions to problems faced during dogfighting. An increasingly realistic solution is the construction of collaborative combat aircraft — unmanned, AI-controlled aircraft that the Air Force hopes will operate alongside piloted fighter jets like autonomous wingmen.
In April 2024, the program experienced a breakthrough when its X-62A Variable In-flight Simulator Aircraft (VISTA) battled an F-16 in a series of dogfights above Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California. The program's manager, Lt. Col. Ryan Hefron, told Defense News, "The purpose of the test was to demonstrate we can safely test these AI agents in a safety-critical air combat environment." Agentic AI could provide several benefits to the battlefield, increasing efficiency and data actualization while reducing complicating factors inherent in human pilots. And while DARPA's AI-pilot program is still in development, former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stated in 2024 that the U.S. hopes to deploy weapon-equipped uncrewed aircraft by 2030.
Man vs. machine
DARPA's VISTA jet, operated by the U.S. Air Force's Test Pilot School, is an F-16 that has been modified with an autonomous flight program. According to the agency, the fighter jet's AI follows the same basic principles as conventional machine learning applications, in that it analyzes large datasets of historic flight scenarios to determine the best solution in real time. Before scaling up to its first flight tests, the program gained experience by running a series of dogfighting scenarios conducted through a flight simulator. Conducting five of these simulated flight tests against human pilots, VISTA's AI agent scored a perfect record against its human foes, although DARPA admits that agentic pilots weren't beholden to the same safety or ethics requirements as their human counterparts. VISTA took its training to the skies in December 2022, executing increasingly difficult training exercises until it finally faced off against human-piloted F-16s the following September. Before these tests, the Air Force had exclusively used autonomous features for actions with defined rules and expectations, like Auto Ground Collision Avoidance Systems, which prevent fighter jets from crashing.
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