U.S. Boosts Development of AI Unmanned Fighter Jets to Check China – Part 1

According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the U.S. Air Force is accelerating its development of artificial intelligence (AI)- based unmanned combat aircraft. The report states that the U.S. Department of Defense plans to select two defense companies by this summer to develop AI-based unmanned combat aircraft, also known as “Collaborative Combat Aircraft” (CCA). Five U.S. defense companies compete for the contract, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, and Anduril.

The U.S. Air Force plans to allocate a total budget of $60 billion over the next five years for the AI unmanned aircraft project, including CCA. This will allow the Air Force to own hundreds of aircraft within five years and over a thousand in the medium to long term.

The unmanned combat aircraft being developed by the U.S. based on AI is expected to form a formation in the air with the F-35 fighter and B-21 strategic bomber and conduct joint operations. It is evaluated as a power that surpasses the already commercialized unmanned attack aircraft (drone) in terms of armament and operation performance.

Power beyond Drones… The Key to Manned-unmanned Teaming

Thus, according to WSJ’s analysis, CCA is emerging as a core power of the so-called “manned-unmanned teaming” (MUM-T), in which manned fighters and bombers operate together with unmanned combat aircraft.

These aircraft are expected to escort the U.S. Air Force’s main aircraft, such as the manned F-35 fighter and B-21 bomber, strike ground targets directly with onboard weapons, and take on the role of surveillance and communication hubs in the air. They are expected to be deployed for dangerous operations such as enemy air defense suppression while also replacing the role of the “wingman” manned fighters that used to escort the main fighters.

WSJ analyzed that “CCA can reduce casualties and costs by performing operations instead of humans” and “Equipped with a jet engine, it has a longer flight range than the unmanned combat aircraft MQ-1 (Predator) or MQ-9 and can be useful in wide battlefields such as the Western Pacific.” Major military powers worldwide, including China, are also focusing on developing MUM-T systems for the same reasons.

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