The Deep View: US fighter pilots take directions from AI for the first time

Posted on August 29, 2025 by michelleclarke2015
US fighter pilots take directions from AI for the first time

For the first time, US fighter pilots took directions from an AI system during a test this month, marking a fundamental shift in how air combat could be conducted. Instead of relying on ground support teams to monitor radar and provide flight guidance, pilots consulted Raft AI’s “air battle manager” technology to confirm flight paths and receive rapid reports on enemy aircraft.Decisions that once took minutes now happen in seconds, according to Raft AI CEO Shubhi Mishra. This joins a broader push toward autonomous warfare, with companies like Anduril and General Atomics already building unmanned fighter drones that fly alongside human pilots. And of course, Blue Water Autonomies, which we covered a couple of days ago, that are building unmanned warships.

Combat decisions have historically required human judgment precisely because context matters in ways that algorithms struggle to capture. When you compress decision-making from minutes to seconds, you’re not just making things faster — you’re potentially removing the deliberation that keeps pilots alive and missions successful.

The Pentagon is betting that AI can handle the complexity of modern air warfare better than human ground controllers. That’s a significant gamble, especially when the consequences of algorithmic errors involve billion-dollar aircraft and human lives. 
 
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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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