STR moves forward on DARPA AIR job to develop artificial intelligence (AI) for swarming uncrewed aircraft

Summary points:

• DARPA invests $11.4 million in AI-driven battle management — extending STR’s work on the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program through 2028.
• AIR program advances tactical autonomy — enabling coordinated behaviors between crewed F-16s and uncrewed combat aircraft for beyond-visual-range missions.
• Focus on real-world deployment — addressing sensor fusion, adaptability, scalability, and predictive modeling in complex and uncertain combat environments.

ARLINGTON, Va. – U.S. military researchers are asking Systems & Technology Research LLC (STR) in Woburn, Mass., to continue development of new kinds of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine autonomy for battle management and sensor fusion.

Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced an $11.4 million order to STR in August to exercise Option one of the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program.

The AIR program is a DARPA initiative focused on developing tactical autonomy for multi-ship beyond-visual-range air combat missions. It aims to enable coordinated AI-driven behaviors between crewed F-16 test aircraft and eventually to uncrewed combat aircraft.

AIR seeks to fill gaps in research on developing and deploying tactical autonomy capability in real-world military operations, and focuses on previously avoided dimensions to enable tactical autonomy in integrated sensors, scalability to large engagements, adaptability to changing conditions, and the ability to learn predictive models that incorporate uncertain knowledge of adversary and self, as well as deceptive effects.

Tell me more about cooperating uncrewed combat aircraft ...

• Cooperating uncrewed combat aircraft -- sometimes called collaborative combat aircraft, loyal wingmen, or teaming drones -- are a new class of military aircraft that work autonomously alongside crewed aircraft. The idea is to expand combat power, reduce risks to human pilots, and provide flexible networked strike capability. Using many small swarming drones can overwhelm air defenses. Key technologies are artificial intelligence (AI) and machine autonomy; networking and data links; swappable sensor, weapon, and electronic warfare payloads; and stealth technologies.

AIR will pair existing, maturing, and emerging software algorithms with expert human feedback to evolve the cooperative autonomous behaviors rapidly that solve previously avoided challenges.

AIR addresses two technical areas: creating fast and accurate models that capture uncertainty and automatically improve with more data; and developing AI-driven algorithmic approaches to real-time distributed autonomous tactical execution within uncertain, dynamic, and complex operational environments.

The AIR program also is developing ways to design, test, and implement future iterations of AIR software. DARPA kicked-off the AIR program in fall 2022, and STR won its original $5.9 million AIR contract from DARPA in February 2024. This latest order extends STR's AIR work into 2028.

On this order STR will do the work in Woburn, Mass.; Beavercreek, Ohio; and Carlsbad, Calif., and should be finished by February 2028. For more information contact Systems & Technology Research online at https://str.us/, or DARPA at www.darpa.mil/research/programs/artificial-intelligence-reinforcements.