The US Air Force used AI to prevent a devastating attack.
With the ambition to deter devastating attacks, the US is developing several top-secret weapons programs, including integrating AI into fighter jets.
Currently, the US military is undertaking several top-secret programs aimed at leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) systems to protect the country against the prospect of a nuclear attack.
The US's quiet development of AI is expected to enable it to independently calculate and analyze massive amounts of data (including satellite imagery) at high speed while maintaining accuracy, surpassing even human capabilities in detecting signs of missile launch processes.
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| The B-1B Lancer aircraft is also part of the US plan to equip itself with AI. |
With early warning from artificial intelligence, the U.S. will have ample time to formulate appropriate responses. Although this project is kept secret, the U.S. military has long shown a keen interest in artificial intelligence.
The US Department of Defense has previously announced the use of artificial intelligence to identify objects in video footage captured by drones. Additionally, the US Air Force is conducting tests of artificial intelligence systems on fighter jets and has achieved some success.
Meanwhile, the US hopes the AI-powered LRASM missile, currently undergoing testing, will be intelligent enough to strike fear into adversaries. This is the AI-equipped variant intended for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-based fighter jet and the B-1B bomber.
According to Lockheed Martin military expert Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., with its artificial intelligence, LRASM represents a significant step forward from the AGM-158 JASSM air-to-ground missile program.
Lockheed Martin has equipped the LRASM with a multi-functional radio seeker and a state-of-the-art datalink. After launch, it receives target data from warships or aircraft, and then continues to receive updated target information via satellite connection.
As the LRASM approaches its target, where satellite communication signals are jammed or interrupted, the missile will fly along a pre-determined trajectory. Sensor systems on the missile will identify areas threatened by enemy air defenses, and then automatically adjust its flight path to bypass these areas.
The missile rapidly descended to near sea level to avoid detection by the radar systems on the enemy warship. The missile's sensor systems continuously scanned the target for anti-aircraft weapon positions to increase its survivability.
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. asserts that, with its 454 kg penetrating-fragmentation warhead, the LRASM missile is powerful enough to sink most targets at sea. For large targets such as Slava-class cruisers or destroyers like Russia's Sovremenny-class, two LRASM missiles would be more than enough to sink any target.
