“There are a lot of autonomous systems in DoD today. There are very few, and I would say really no significant, AI enabled autonomous systems,” says Shanahan, who is trying to change that.
By Theresa HitchensB-21, hypersonics and more: How digital development is driving industry innovation
Technological advancements are key to keeping pace with customer demands and evolving threat landscapes.
“You’ve got to create enough capacity so that long-range punch is really a punch,” Maj. Gen. Clint Hinote said.
By Theresa Hitchens
The list includes 12 additional F-35s, and funding to speed development of the GPS anti-jam M-Code signal.
By Theresa Hitchens
The Valkyrie is the only drone to have flown with the Skyborg AI wingman package — but the Air Force isn’t ruling out the eventual use of another drone.
By Theresa Hitchens
NRO has had a complicated relationship with commercial remote sensing providers, especially those working with SAR and other powerful new technologies.
By Theresa Hitchens
“I’ve never gotten a briefing from the Space Development Agency,” Roper said, “so I don’t know what their plan, I don’t know what they’re intending.”
By Theresa Hitchens
“We need that partnership with customers on the DoD side where they’re willing to take a step forward with us in understanding that neither one of us knows the ultimate answer.”
By Paul McLeary
Modernizing military simulation with open systems architecture
Best-of-breed common models and architecture enable virtual training and testing with the same data in a cyber-resilient posture.
A single F-35 could have a flock of “loyal wingman” drones to carry weapons, jam radars, and if need be take a hit and die to save their human commander.
By Colin Clark
AFA: The Air Force is developing smart bombs that detonate differently depending on the target. These “Dialable Effects Munitions” could turn up the blast to devastate an enemy camp or turn it down to kill a single terrorist without hurting nearby civilians. In the extreme case, said Col. Garry Haase, the director of munitions at…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.WASHINGTON: Should the United States build physical and cyber Terminators, weapons that do not have a human in the loop? The unequivocal answer from the prestigious Defense Science Board is yes. “This study concluded that DoD must accelerate its exploitation of autonomy—both to realize the potential military value and to remain ahead of adversaries who also…
By Colin Clark
presented by
General Atomics, whose MQ-1 Predator changed the world, is to start testing another potentially revolutionary weapon next month: a 150-kilowatt class laser. Several other companies are developing laser weapons and “we’re looking at all of them,” said Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, in an interview with Breaking Defense. “The…
By Richard Whittle
TYSON’S CORNER: All branches of the military really want laser weapons. But they don’t all want them for the same missions. What struck me after a recent conference here was how differently the US Air Force is approaching lasers. The USAF is pursing a two-pronged approach: They want to mount lasers on both the large…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
TYSON’S CORNER: New laser technology looks promising as a way to shoot down Chinese-style massed missiles. But laser projects have overpromised and underdelivered for decades, from Reagan’s Star Wars in the eighties to the Airborne Laser, canceled in 2011. Now proponents must convince the skeptics — particularly in Congress — that this time is different. “Right…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. The OODA Loop remains a key concept for those who fight, especially fighter pilots. After all, Air Force Col. John Boyd made it and his theory of Energy-Maneuverability famous with his bold claim to be able to defeat any other pilot within 40 seconds. Boyd helped inspire the designs of the…
By Tod Schuck