The “Wall Street Journal” reported that the U.S. Air Force is developing a program to produce approximately a thousand combat drones equipped with artificial intelligence.
According to the newspaper, the program’s budget is estimated at around $6 billion, with the Pentagon expecting to produce a thousand drones with this funding.
The report highlighted that hundreds of these newly developed combat drones, which will rely on artificial intelligence technology, could enter service with the U.S. Air Force within the next five years. These drones will accompany and protect F-35 fighter jets and the new B-21 bombers, in addition to carrying their own weapons to strike aircraft and other ground targets, as well as perform reconnaissance functions.
The Air Force aims to leverage this technology, allowing pilots of aircraft, including F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-21 bombers, to remotely control the new drones during their missions from their cockpits.
Ground control units could also handle up to 10 drones, while others could be pre-programmed to fly in swarms, overcome or confuse enemy defenses to attract fire.
Air Force officials and aviation software developers stated that reducing human crew in dangerous missions would allow drones to execute maneuvers that would be physically impossible for pilots to endure.
The newspaper noted that companies like Anduril Industries, Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are competing to secure a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for this project.
The high cost of current military aircraft and advancements in aviation software have driven the Air Force towards a new generation of drones to enhance the fleet, which its leaders say is the smallest and oldest since it became a separate service in 1947.
