The use of drones at the military level is not new. In fact, the Ukrainian War has shown that they are a fundamental part of modern offensive strategies. And that is why it is not surprising that the main powers are working on increasingly powerful and advanced models. In the case of the United States, one of the most notorious projects involves the XQ-58A Valkyriea stealthy drone piloted by artificial intelligence with which the Air Force intends to complement its fleet of state-of-the-art fighters.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie was created by the Kratos company, and is part of its project to develop state-of-the-art, but “low cost” unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Each is estimated to cost around about 3 million dollarsand the intention of the USAF would be to have a fleet of between 1,000 and 2,000 units.
In accordance with the manufacturer’s data sheet, the XQ-58A Valkyrie is 9.1 meters long and has a wingspan of 8.2 meters. It is powered by a turbofan engine that generates about 2,000 pounds of thrust and allows it to reach a cruising speed of Mach 0.72. Its operating height is 15 meters above ground level, or 13,700 meters above sea level. In its internal bay, meanwhile, it can load a maximum of 272 kilograms of weapons.
XQ-58A Valkyrie, the stealth drone piloted by AI
But the craziest thing about the XQ-58A Valkyrie is, without a doubt, its ability to fly under control of artificial intelligence. In fact, earlier this month, the US Air Force confirmed the successful completion of a 3 hour flight test completely in command of the AI. It was the first time that the drone completed a mission of these characteristics under absolute control of this technology.
According to the USAF, the device’s algorithms were tested to solve problems that may appear in mid-flight, responding favorably. “This proves the ability to develop AI and machine learning agents that execute modern air-to-air and air-to-surface skills that are immediately transferable to other autonomous programs,” they explained.
It is worth mentioning that it is not the first time that the United States has flown an aircraft under the command of artificial intelligence. Earlier this year, a modified F-16 was also capable of it. However, now we are talking about a device specifically designed to be operated autonomously.
The XQ-58A Valkyrie’s capabilities also reflect a notorious—and far from easy—change process for the United States Air Force. Not only because the pilots of their fighters they must get used to flying with a device capable of acting on its ownbut because the use of AI in possible conflict scenarios is already generating controversies around its morality.
Flying with an autonomous drone
“It’s a very strange feeling. I’m flying next to the wing of something that’s making its own decisions. And it’s not a human brain,” Ross Elder, an F-15 Eagle pilot, told The New York Times about sharing missions with the XQ-58A Valkyrie. According to a report from the aforementioned media, the Air Force not only plans to use this device so that they fly alongside their fighters. They can also be part of a “swarm of drones” to carry out missions on your own.
From the USAF they affirm that, if the drone finally enters service, it can be used for reconnaissance tasks, being able to analyze the combat zones before the planes it accompanies arrive at the scene. This would put pilots at less risk, since they would have a clearer picture of the potential threats they would have to face. Although it is not ruled out using the XQ-58A Valkyrie for destroy the first anti-aircraft defenses or absorb enemy firein a hypothetical conflict scenario.
As we mentioned previously, the use of stealthy and AI-piloted drones is already sparking a moral debate in the United States. Opponents of projects like the XQ-58A Valkyrie claim that its implementation would allow “outsourcing the killing of people” to a machine. However, from the Air Force they assure that this is not the case.
moral conflicts
General Scott Jobe, one of the first people in charge of the program, assured that the drones powered by artificial intelligence they will not be free to confront an enemy with deadly force. The final decision of an attack will always be human. Either from an operator on the ground or from the pilot of a fighter who is accompanying the device. “I’m not going to let this robot go out there and start shooting things. Think of this as just an extension of your weapons system if you’re in an F-22, F-35, or whatever,” he said.
In addition, those responsible for the XQ-58A Valkyrie claim that the device has multiple firewalls in its AI controlled features. Thus, it seeks to prevent the drone from carrying out erroneous actions and calm the discussions of a hypothetical dystopian future. The truth is that autonomous combat ships have earned the attention of the US Air Force. And therefore it is not surprising that he intends to spend more than 5,000 million dollars in its development in the next 5 years. As long as Congress approves it, of course.