WASHINGTON — The Air Force is betting much of its future air war on a fleet of more than 1,000 autonomously operated drones, and later this spring its top civilian leader plans to climb into one of those artificial intelligence-operated fighter jets and take it to the skies to let fly.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told senators Tuesday during a hearing on the service’s 2025 budget that he will enter the cockpit of one of the F-16s the service has converted for drone flights to see firsthand how it performs in the air .
“There will be a pilot with me who will watch as I do to see how the autonomous technology works,” Kendall told members of the Senate defense panel. “Hopefully neither he nor I will be needed to fly the plane.”
Drone warfare has quickly expanded from the sidelines of battle to one of the main weapons. Drones pose a daily threat in Ukraine and the Middle East. In Ukraine, ordinary citizens are being targeted by Russian drones, but they are also assembling drones to collect video footage of Russian positions. In the Middle East, Iranian-backed Houthis and militant groups have regularly deployed sophisticated air, sea and underwater drones to attack US bases and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The Air Force began planning its fleet of collaborative fighter aircraft, or CCAs, several years ago, and it envisions a scenario in which one piloted jet could quarterback multiple AI-powered, responsive drones, which the service calls “loyal wingmen.” .”
The service has been tight-lipped about what its drone fleet will look like in terms of size or platform, whether full-size fighters or something smaller. Kendall said the converted F-16 test flight will be done for him to observe the technology behind the future fleet.
The fleet is being designed specifically with future warfare and possible conflict with China in mind. China has been rapidly modernizing its anti-access capabilities as more advanced air defense systems make it risky to send crews too close. Drone aircraft could enhance the service’s ability to penetrate these defenses, and are planned to provide support for a variety of future missions, such as surveillance or jamming.
“The aircraft’s initial role would be counter-air, but it will have the potential to do other things,” Kendall said.
The drone fleet is also expected to be cheaper than developing new manned aircraft, Kendall said. The current goal is for each to cost about a quarter to a third of what an F-35 fighter jet now costs, or about $20 million each.