The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
8 April 2019 -- The latest, Skyborg, is an autonomous drone prototyping program with artificial intelligence underway at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Researchers hope to get the aircraft—expected to be cheaper than other platforms and easily replaceable—combat-ready by the end of 2023.
Air Force Acquisition Executive Will Roper revealed the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program, which launched in October, at a conference in Washington last month. Skyborg must be able to autonomously take off and land, fly in bad weather, and avoid other aircraft, terrain, and obstacles, the Air Force said.
Although the Air Force hasn’t decided what kind of aircraft Skyborg should be, it released an artist’s concept of an oblong, winged vehicle with three wheels last month.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
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