NEWTOWN, Conn. -- BAE Systems recently announced development of semi-autonomous software in a category called Distributed Battle Management (DBM). DBM is the process of providing timely and relevant information to operators and pilots when communication is not assured, so they can better manage and control air-to-air and air-to-ground combat in contested environments.
The technology offers pilots to continue operations when satellite communications and tactical data links are shut down - a likely scenario in the modern battlefield, and a scenario which militaries are preparing for.
The new technology provides shared situational understanding, interchangeable roles, coordinated objectives for teams of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles in communications denied environments, and compressed, prioritized data transfer when communications are available. The automated technology delivers automated decision aids that help operators make better, faster combat decisions.
During an 11-day flight test, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in association with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), successfully demonstrated capabilities for its DBM program for the first time during seven live flights that included a mix of live and simulation runs and simulation-only runs.
The test included BAE's Anti-Access Real-time Mission Management System (ARMS) and the Contested Network Environment Situational Understanding System (CONSENSUS). ARMS, a distributed adaptive planning and control software, provides near real-time mission capabilities that allow warfighters to engage air-to-air and air-to-ground targets and search airspace. CONSENSUS is a distributed situational understanding software that provides pilots and operators with weapon targeting guidance and mission awareness through a common operational picture by fusing raw data from multiple platforms and sensors.
World leaders, such as Elon Musk and Steven Hawking, have warned against the possible repercussions of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous technologies. The U.S. military is investing in autonomously operated transport helicopters, although they will not likely transport humans any time soon.
Autonomous technologies and AI are also highly susceptible to cyber-attacks and electronic warfare, which poses questions regarding their reliability in a battlefield rife with such destructive capabilities. Despite any worries, AI and autonomous technology is currently, and will be very much so, integral assets of worldwide military operations. China has already declared that it will aggressively pursue these technologies, leaving other nations with no choice but to counter their advancements. Those with the best AI and autonomous technologies, will have more efficient and more deadly military capabilities. Along with AI and autonomous technology growth, complementary technologies such as offensive and defensive electronic warfare, and cyber warfare technology will see parallel growth.
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