The envelope-pushers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force Research Laboratory are working on a new information capability that, according to releases and contract announcement, would be able to “learn” general plans and processes “from human users by being shown one example.” The program, called “Integrated Learner,” will accomplish the task by assembling knowledge from many sources, including reasoning, in order to learn the tasks, according to a DARPA solicitation. Possible applications include learning air tasking orders, planning, or computer assisted design processes. The Air Force on May 3 awarded a contract for $21 million to Lockheed Martin to develop the computer software by September 2010. Another contract for $24 million went on April 27 to BBN Technologies of Cambridge, Mass., to develop program software by August 2010. DARPA’s goal on the project is to apply the software to cyberspace planning domains in which the program must “learn complex hierarchical task or process models.” Stay tuned for more details.
F-15E Aviator Missing in Iran Rescued by US Forces
April 5, 2026
The second crew member of the F-15E shot down April 3 has been rescued from Iran. U.S. forces recovered the aviator alive and all American forces involved in the operation are believed to be safe, U.S. officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.