Wednesday, February 24, 2021
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

AlphaDogfight trials foreshadow future of human-machine symbiosis

AlphaDogfight Trials Competition Event #3 - Final simulated dogfight between the Champion AI and an Air Force F-16 pilot!

by US Department of Defense
August 27, 2020
in Air Force News
2 min read
0
AI fighter pilot vs. Air Force pilot: Dogfight showdown scheduled for this week
29
SHARES
390
VIEWS

A small Maryland company took first place in last week’s AlphaDogfight Trials Final event, a three-day competition designed to demonstrate advanced algorithms capable of performing simulated, within-visual-range air combat maneuvering – commonly known as a dogfight.

Heron Systems’ F-16 AI agent defeated seven other companies’ F-16 AI agents and then went on to dominate the main event – a series of simulated dogfights against an experienced Air Force F-16 pilot – winning 5-0 through aggressive and precise maneuvers the human pilot couldn’t outmatch.

“The AlphaDogfight Trials were a phenomenal success, accomplishing exactly what we’d set out to do,” said Col. Dan “Animal” Javorsek, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office.

“The goal was to earn the respect of a fighter pilot – and ultimately the broader fighter pilot community – by demonstrating that an AI agent can quickly and effectively learn basic fighter maneuvers and successfully employ them in a simulated dogfight.”

The trials were designed to energize and expand a base of AI developers for DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. ACE seeks to automate air-to-air combat and build human trust in AI as a step toward improved human-machine teaming.

“During last week’s human versus machine exhibition the AI showed its amazing dogfighting skill consistently beating a human pilot in this limited environment,” Javorsek said.

“This was a crucible that lets us now begin teaming humans with machines, which is at the heart of the ACE program where we hope to demonstrate a collaborative relationship with an AI agent handling tactical tasks like dogfighting while the onboard pilot focuses on higher-level strategy as a battle manager supervising multiple airborne platforms.”

Eight participating companies – ranging from major defense contractors to a four-person firm – spent less than a year developing and teaching their AI agents how to fly and excel in simulated aerial combat.

The teams were Aurora Flight Sciences, EpiSys Science, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Heron Systems, Lockheed Martin, Perspecta Labs, PhysicsAI, and SoarTech. AI agents developed by Lockheed Martin, Aurora Flight Sciences, and PhysicsAI rounded out the top four teams.

“The AlphaDogfight Trials outcome shows great promise for future airborne combat systems and concepts involving human-machine symbiosis,” said Tim Grayson, director of DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office (STO).

“As part of STO’s Mosaic Warfare vision of distributed manned and unmanned systems, the trials laid a strong foundation for further algorithm development in the ACE program as it moves now from a simulation environment to testing algorithms and measuring pilot trust on actual aircraft.”

Due to the COVID pandemic, the third and final trial could not be held in person at AFWERX in Las Vegas as originally planned. Instead, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, virtually hosted the finals August 18-20 and streamed the event live on ZoomGov and YouTube. APL hosted the first two trials in October 2019 and January 2020 in person.

Watch the August 20 semifinals and final match of the AI-agent competition followed by the champion AI agent versus human fighter pilot:

Tags: AIAlphaDogfightartificial intelligenceF-16Fighter Aircraftfighter jets
Previous Post

US troops injured in tense confrontation with Russians in Syria

Next Post

Fourth Fighter Squadron wraps up training in Alaska

Related Posts

United States B-1B bomber training in the Australian Top End

USAF begins retirement of B-1 aircraft, paving way for B-21

February 22, 2021

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE: In support of its efforts to modernize America’s bomber fleet, the Air Force will begin divesting...

Third NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Aircraft Arrives at Sigonella

NATO’s first operational UAS flying unit

February 22, 2021

Northrop Grumman's RQ-4D Phoenix Global Hawk has recently enabled NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force to achieve a declaration of...

Next Post
Fourth Fighter Squadron wraps up training in Alaska

Fourth Fighter Squadron wraps up training in Alaska

Latest Defense News

United States B-1B bomber training in the Australian Top End

USAF begins retirement of B-1 aircraft, paving way for B-21

February 22, 2021
Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for China

Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for China

February 22, 2021
Saudi arms producer in defence venture with Lockheed Martin

Saudi arms producer in defence venture with Lockheed Martin

February 22, 2021
Third NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Aircraft Arrives at Sigonella

NATO’s first operational UAS flying unit

February 22, 2021
Israel and US begin Arrow 4 development

Israel and US begin Arrow 4 development

February 22, 2021
Norwegian Army Adding 20 CV90s to its Fleet

Norwegian Army Adding 20 CV90s to its Fleet

February 19, 2021

Defense Forum Discussions

  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates
  • The Indonesian Army
  • China - Geostrategic & Geopolitical.
  • Bombings, Mass shootings & Domestic Security Issues in the US
  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • Afghanistan War
  • General Maritime News
  • The Royal Navy Discussions and Updates
  • The unstable situation in Myanmar.
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com