The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the ...
The Air Force now believes a single manned fighter can control a larger number of drones than previously thought, and can do so using less-sophisticated autonomous technology, according to USAF's director of force design.
The Air Force is budgeting $28.6 billion over the next five years to develop its next frontline fighter and an armada of autonomous escorts to go with it, according to just-released budget documents. Activities planned for 2025 include building and flying prototypes.