The Air Force is ready to integrate artificial intelligence with "attritable" drones and may soon put ARTUu -- an algorithm that controlled a U-2 Dragon Lady's sensor and navigation systems in flight earlier this week -- inside a Skyborg aircraft, according to service acquisition executive Will Roper. "ARTUμ was providing an important function and doing it faster than people, and that was really just for us to get the first toe in the water," Roper said of the U-2 demonstration during a discussion with reporters today with the Defense Writers Group. "Algorithmic warfare is here. We have an AI pilot in the Air Force." AI is what the Skyborg program intends to add to drones so they can perform joint missions with manned aircraft. The Air Force specifically is interested in attritable vehicles, which are designed to be low cost and reusable so the service can have less concerns about losing one and be willing to deploy them in mass. "Attritables are meant to go take risk and AI has no fear and that mission we're ready to go do today," Roper said. "That is a very different mission than today's Air Force where everything that flies an airplane has life and limb to worry about."
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