US Air Force’s Game Changer Technologies
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Networking missiles, artificially intelligent drones and advanced positioning systems – these are the game changer technological priorities decided by the US Air Force. These technologies will get priority in research funding and become an operational part of the service within a short time.
Air Force Materiel Command leader Gen. Arnold Bunch said: “We believe they can change the way that we fight and the way we employ air power.” “We are not looking for just an incremental increase. The way we see these is if we get these to work and function the way we expect then it will be a leap ahead.”
The three programs that are part of the Air Force’s vanguard program are:
- Golden Horde, which gives missiles a swarming capability and allows them to work together and figure out the best way to attack a target even after they have been deployed. The Air Force would install software into existing missiles to produce the effect.
- Navigation Technology Satellite-3 will be in geosynchronous orbit and it will be working on position, navigation and timing (PNT) changes. According to a fact sheet, “Experimental antennas, flexible and secure signals, increased automation, and use of commercial assets. Technologies matured and knowledge gained from NTS-3 are expected to transition to future generations of GPS and potential augmentations to national PNT capabilities.”
- Skyborg – a set of AI-driven drones that fly with fighter jets. “The drones will enhance the pilots’ awareness at a low cost,” Bunch said.
The Air Force’s vanguard program is part of its science and technology plan for 2030. “While emphasizing advanced technology, they can synergize applied research, selected basic research, and experimentation and prototyping to drive forward innovative capabilities,” the strategy states.
According to federalnewsnetwork.com, those technologies are not clearly defined, however. Instead they are concepts the Air Force wants to get its arms around. They include global persistent awareness; continuous and timely knowledge of adversaries; complexity, unpredictability and mass; overwhelming adversaries through a collaborative and autonomous network of systems; and the ability to rapidly disrupt and neutralize dynamic and mobile targets using new methods to attack with speed and global reach.
