Lockheed Martin recently let AI fly its VISTA X-62A fighter jet for more than 17-hours, a first for tactical aircraft of any kind. VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft) is a unique training airplane developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in collaboration with Calspan Corporation and fitted with software that allows it to mimic the performance characteristics of other aircraft.
What kind of aircraft is VISTA? It’s essentially a modified F-16D Block 30 Peace Marble Il aircraft that has been upgraded with Block 40 avionics, previously designated NF-16D. The new mission system capability features VSS, MFA and SACS, all of which emphasize advancing autonomous aircraft algorithm development and integration.
- No Registration Needed - Under 249 g, FAA Registration, and Remote ID are not required if you fly for recreational purposes.
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VISTA will allow us to parallelize the development and test of cutting-edge artificial intelligence techniques with new uncrewed vehicle designs. This approach, combined with focused testing on new vehicle systems as they are produced, will rapidly mature autonomy for uncrewed platforms and allow us to deliver tactically relevant capability to our warfighter,” said Dr. M. Christopher Cotting, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School director of research.
