Tomorrow’s ‘Top Gun’ might have drone wingman, use AI

Jul 22, 2022, 12:56 AM | Updated: 1:13 am

FILE - A member of the military personnel eats an ice cream as he stands past an F15E Strike Eagle ...

FILE - A member of the military personnel eats an ice cream as he stands past an F15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, on display at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The future for fighter pilots was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos. New technologies take on a bigger role in the cockpit, redefining what it means to be a ''Top Gun''. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

FARNBOROUGH, England (AP) — Maverick’s next wingman could be a drone.

In the movies, fighter pilots are depicted as highly trained military aviators with the skills and experience to defeat adversaries in thrilling aerial dogfights.

New technologies, though, are set to redefine what it means to be a “Top Gun,” as algorithms, data and machines take on a bigger role in the cockpit — changes hinted at in “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“A lot of people talk about, you know, the way of the future, possibly taking the pilot out of the aircraft,” said 1st Lt. Walker Gall, an F-35 pilot with the U.S. 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in England. “That’s definitely not something that any of us look forward to.”

“I’d like to keep my job as long as possible, but I mean, it’s hard to argue with newer and newer technology,” he said. “And if that’s the way of the future, that’s what it is. But I’m just here to enjoy it while I can.”

The future for fighter pilots was on display this week at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos.

Defense contractors outlined how artificial intelligence and other technologies will be used in the newest warplanes as global military delegations browsed mockups of missiles, drones and fighter jets. At stake are many billions of dollars as countries update military fleets or pump up defense procurement budgets amid rising geopolitical tensions.

The original “Top Gun” movie released in 1986 follows Tom Cruise’s hot-shot Navy pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, through fighter weapons training school. In the sequel, an aging Maverick, now a test pilot, learns the top secret hypersonic plane he’s working on is being canceled so the funding can be used for a pilotless drone program.

It’s a debate that’s been playing out for years in the real world. Drones have been used extensively in the war between Russia and Ukraine and other modern conflicts, raising the question of just how much need there is for human pilots to fly expensive fighter jets and other aircraft — or whether unmanned aerial vehicles could do the job.

At the Farnborough show, experts said the future of air warfare is likely to be manned and unmanned aircraft working together.

One day, fighter pilots will “have a drone aircraft that’s flying as a loyal wingman” under their control, said Jon Norman, a vice president at Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s missile and defense business.

Norman, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, said he used to complain about drones controlled from the ground that got in his way when he was flying fighter jets.

The latest communications systems let fighters, drones and other aircraft talk to each other, he said.

Technology has already removed the need for a second person to sit in the backseat to work the radar — a role portrayed in the original “Top Gun” movie by the character Goose.

It will continue to play a bigger role in the cockpit, Raytheon executives said. Artificial intelligence will analyze reams of data from sensors placed on planes, drones, the ground or missiles flying through the air to give pilots in the sky and commanders back at headquarters a better sense of the battlefield.

In future battles, AI might allow a pilot to send an armed drone close to an enemy position “and have them just fire at will,” Norman added.

But it’s too soon to write an epitaph for the pilot.

“If we had had this conversation 20 years ago, almost everyone was certain that some (drones) would be serving in a combat aircraft replacement role. That simply hasn’t happened,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory.

Nowadays, he said, drones mainly support manned military aircraft, which “allows them to get out there with a greater combat aircraft punch.”

There was speculation that the F-35 fighter, which went into operation in 2015, would be the last manned fighter jet, said Gareth Jennings, aviation editor at defense intelligence provider Janes. “But no one says that anymore.”

The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., is a stealthy fighter part of today’s generation of warplanes. There is a next generation of fighter jets in the concept stages offering even more high-tech advances, including potentially pilotless versions, but they won’t arrive before the next decade at the earliest.

Gall, who recently graduated from fighter pilot training school, said the F-35 is easy to fly and that technology would likely make its successors even easier. But he stressed that the fighter pilot’s role would remain intense.

Even if that role isn’t going away anytime soon, the Pentagon is working on transforming it.

The Air Combat Evolution program, run by the Pentagon’s DARPA research agency, is working on incorporating artificial intelligence into warfighting, including designing a plane that can fly itself in a dogfight.

The program has already carried out a live simulation of air combat, pitting a virtual plane piloted by an AI agent against a human pilot. If all goes well, researchers plan to carry out a live dogfight with AI-enabled planes by 2024.

Experts, though, are skeptical pilots will be eliminated from the cockpit in the near future.

“I don’t think we’ll be at the stage of not needing fighter pilots for a few decades yet,” said Jennings, the aviation editor. “Unmanned technology and the public willingness to accept not having a human in the loop are just not there, and won’t be for at least another 30 years or so.”

___

Videojournalist Cassandra Allwood contributed to this report.

___

For all of AP’s tech coverage, visit https://apnews.com/apf-technology

___

Follow Kelvin Chan at www.twitter.com/chanman

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              FILE - A F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet is on display at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Monday, July 18, 2022. The future for fighter pilots was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos. New technologies take on a bigger role in the cockpit, redefining what it means to be a ''Top Gun''. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
            
              FILE - First Lieutenant Walker Gall poses in front of a F35 Lightning 2 fighter plane at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Monday, July 18, 2022. The future for fighter pilots was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos. New technologies take on a bigger role in the cockpit, redefining what it means to be a ''Top Gun''. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
            
              FILE - Visitors take pictures of a F35 Lightning 2 fighter plane at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Monday, July 18, 2022. The future for fighter pilots was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos. New technologies take on a bigger role in the cockpit, redefining what it means to be a ''Top Gun''. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
            
              FILE - A member of the military personnel eats an ice cream as he stands past an F15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, on display at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The future for fighter pilots was on display at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world’s biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos. New technologies take on a bigger role in the cockpit, redefining what it means to be a ''Top Gun''. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

AP

FILE - Protesters stand outside of the Senate chamber at the Indiana Statehouse on Feb. 22, 2023, i...

Associated Press

LGBTQ+ Americans are under attack, Human Rights Campaign declares in state of emergency warning

The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. on Tuesday.

2 days ago

FILE - People wait in line outside the Supreme Court in Washington to listen to oral arguments in a...

Associated Press

Supreme Court opened the door to states’ voting restrictions. Now a new ruling could widen them.

Within hours of a U.S. Supreme Court decision dismantling a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Texas lawmakers announced plans to implement a strict voter ID law that had been blocked by a federal court. Lawmakers in Alabama said they would press forward with a similar law that had been on hold.

2 days ago

Gavel (Pexels Photo)...

Associated Press

Ex-teacher sentenced to prison for making death threat against Arizona legislator

A former Tucson middle school teacher was sentenced Tuesday to 2 ½ years in prison after pleading guilty to making a death threat against Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers.

2 days ago

FILE - Police officers stand outside a Target store as a group of people protest across the street,...

Associated Press

Pride becomes a minefield for big companies, but many continue their support

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.

3 days ago

FILE - Then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plays music on a phone as he arrives to spe...

Associated Press

Biden, looking to shore up Hispanic support, faces pressure to get 2024 outreach details right

Joe Biden vowed in 2020 to work “like the devil” to energize Hispanic voters, and flew to Florida seven weeks before Election Day to do just that.

3 days ago

Editorial members of the Austin American-Statesman's Austin NewsGuild picket along the Congress Ave...

Associated Press

Correction: US-Gannett Walkout story

Journalists at two dozen local newspapers across the U.S. walked off the job Monday to demand an end to painful cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country's biggest newspaper chain.

3 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Tomorrow’s ‘Top Gun’ might have drone wingman, use AI