U.S. Air Force and Space Force officials just outlined how they want to integrate AI into America's nuclear command, control, and communications architecture. The plan is to use AI to speed up data processing and pick the most secure communication routes, while strictly keeping humans—specifically the president—in full control of any strike decisions.
The US Air Force is funding five mystery companies to develop autonomous AI brains for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) fleet, keeping the roster classified to block prying eyes. The software will eventually fly drones built by General Atomics and Anduril, with a final production bake-off scheduled for 2026.
DARPA just revealed that an AI-controlled fighter jet successfully went head-to-head against a human pilot in an in-air dogfight. Flying the experimental X-62A against a human-piloted F-16, the two jets reached speeds of 1,200 miles per hour and got within 2,000 feet, with human safety pilots never needing to take back control.
