A unique Lockheed Martin fighter trainer, dubbed the VISTA X-62A, will fly for more than 17 hours during a test flight from Edwards Air Force Base, California in December 2021, becoming the first artificial intelligence-controlled aircraft to fly. It became a tactical aircraft.
One of the thornier issues with modern fighter jets is the time it takes to develop them. While the legendary Supermarine Spitfire of World War II took only three years to enter service, the F-35 Lightning II took his twenty years, and the first to be delivered was backordered. is already obsolete, despite the
There is also the issue of training pilots to fly a wide variety of high performance aircraft. Today’s Air Force is much smaller than it was in the past due to the astronomical cost of building and maintaining fighter aircraft. As such, it is difficult to release enough of these flying thoroughbreds for training purposes.
With the development of artificial intelligence, engineers have a tool that kills two birds with one stone. Developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works classified research facility in partnership with his Calspan Corporation, the Variable In-Flight Simulation Test Vehicle (VISTA) was designed to mimic the flight characteristics of various aircraft by the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards. used in It is also designed to operate autonomously.
The VISTA X-62A is a modified F-16D Block 30-Piece Marble II equipped with Block 40 avionics. Originally designated as the NF-16D, it was declared a U.S. National Asset and renamed the X-62A in June 2021.
While it may look like a flashy painted F-16, the VISTA X-62A hides some advanced features under its stressed aluminum alloy skin. Chief among these are his VISTA Simulation System (VSS) developed by Calspan, Lockheed Martin’s Model Following Algorithm (MFA) and System for Autonomous Control of the Simulation (SACS).
Combined, the latter two give aircraft new capabilities that turn them into flight testbeds for autonomy and AI. The SACS system features Skunk Works’ Enterprise-wide Open Systems Architecture (E-OSA) running Enterprise Mission Computer version 2 (EMC2), also known as the Einstein Box, and is designed to link and share older systems. I’m here. of data across all domains. The aircraft also has advanced sensors and Getac tablet displays in both the front and rear of the cockpit.
Lockheed says the VISTA X-62A not only has improved capabilities, but can also handle rapid changes to software for rapid prototyping to accelerate development and increase the number of test flights.
The VISTA X-62A is currently undergoing inspections and is expected to return to flight thereafter.
“VISTA allows us to develop and test cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies in parallel with new driverless vehicle designs,” said Dr. M. Christopher Cotting of the United States. Research director at the Air Force Test Pilot School. “This approach, combined with intensive testing of new vehicle systems as they are produced, will allow us to rapidly mature the autonomy of our unmanned platforms and provide tactically relevant capabilities to our fighter aircraft.”
Source: Lockheed Martin
