The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has led a three-hour sortie to demonstrate the first-ever flight of artificial Intelligence Agents Controlling an Uncrewed Jet Aircraft – the XQ-58A Valkyrie. The flight took place at the Eglin Test and Training Complex in Florida on July 25, 2023. This achievement is a result of a two-year partnership that began with the SkyBorg Vanguard program.

The mission showcased a multi-layer safety framework and proved the ability of AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) agents to solve tactically relevant challenges during airborne operations. The success of this sortie opens up opportunities to develop AI/ML agents capable of executing modern air-to-air and air-to-surface combat skills that can be transferred to the CCA (combat cloud architecture) program.

The algorithms that controlled the XQ-58A Valkyrie were developed by AFRL’s Autonomous Air Combat Operations team. These algorithms underwent extensive testing, including millions of hours in high fidelity simulation events, sorties on the X-62 VISTA, Hardware-in-the-Loop events with the XQ-58A, and ground test operations.

The AACO (Autonomous Air Combat Operations) program has employed a multi-pronged approach to unmanned flight testing, utilizing high-performance computing, modeling and simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing to train AI agents to safely fly the XQ-58 unmanned aircraft. This approach has successfully met operational experimentation objectives.

The Department of Defense is committed to the responsible deployment of AI technology. To ensure responsible use of AI, collaboration between developers, users of AI-enabled autonomy, and acquisition specialists is crucial. The integration of AI into future warfighting scenarios is seen as essential for gaining a rapid understanding of the operational picture and making informed decisions. The AFRL emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts among the government, academia, and industry partners to keep up with the evolving landscape of AI, autonomous operations, and human-machine teaming.

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