US Air Force Secretary Kendall flies in cockpit of plane controlled by AI

U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall took a history-making flight in an AI-controlled F-16 on May 3, 2024. U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall rode in the cockpit of a fighter jet on Friday, which flew over the desert in California and was controlled by artificial intelligence. Last month, Kendall announced his plans to fly in an AI-controlled F-16 to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee's defense panel, while speaking about the future of air warfare being dependent on autonomously operated drones. On Friday, the senior Air Force leader followed through with his plans, making what could be one of the biggest advances in military aviation since stealth planes were introduced in the early 1990s. Kendall flew to Edwards Air Force Base – the same desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier – to watch and experience AI flight in real time. US MILITARY'OUT OF TIME' IN PUSH AGAINST ADVERSARIES' MODERNIZATION, AIR FORCE SECRETARY SAYS The X-62A VISTA aircraft, an experimental AI-enabled Air Force F-16 fighter jet, takes off on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.