An autonomous X-62A fighter jet developed by the US military research agency DARPA and the US Air Force faced off against a human pilot in what is the first combat of its kind that mankind has witnessed.

The event was part of DARPA's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, launched in 2019 with the aim of integrating artificial intelligence into air combat.

The X-62A, also called VISTA ("Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft"), is a modified F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, piloted by artificial intelligence, without any human intervention.

General Dynamics X-62 VISTA - Wikipedia
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"The X-62A team has demonstrated that state-of-the-art autonomy based on machine learning can be used safely to perform dynamic combat maneuvers," said Frank Kendall, Secretary of the United States Air Force.

"The team achieved this feat while meeting US standards for the safe and ethical use of autonomous technology," added the military official, in a video released by DARPA.


Although the ACE team did not reveal the outcome of the fight in terms of scores, it did confirm that the AI performed as expected without the safety pilots having to intervene.

AI-controlled planes represent a huge advantage for the military. In addition to reducing pilot injuries and accidents, AIs also have the potential to analyze large amounts of data very quickly - allowing for more informed decisions, faster.

"Our best will always take a few tenths of a second to make a decision and execute it. An AI will do it in a micro-second," Kendall explained to Defense Scoop in 2023.

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DARPA decided to test this concept by training an AI to operate a fighter jet during a dogfight - a close-range air battle between two military aircraft.

"A dogfight is extremely dangerous. If Artificial Intelligence can function effectively in an environment as dangerous as one of these air-to-air combats, then it has the potential to gain the trust of humans as we look for less dangerous but equally complex applications," explains Colonel James Valpiani, commander of the Air Force Test Pilot School.

Previous challenges have pitted teams of AI-piloted fighters against human pilots in simulated combat - with victories for the AI fighters, recalls Freethink.

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However, real-world physics is incredibly difficult to simulate, leading to a phenomenon called the "sim-to-real gap", in which an AI doesn't perform as well as in simulations when given control over something real, such as a robot, a car or an airplane.

Unfortunately, the ACE team won't say who won the first fight between the AI fighter pilot and the human pilot. We can only guess...