There was a small redoubt in military key where “human strength” continued to be imposed on algorithms. When it comes to Air Force and the management of combat aircraft such as the Ultra Popular f-16 huntingthe pilots had an advantage that paralyzed the advance of the AI: they were unpredictable in their maneuvers. They may have the days counted. China has found how to anticipate.
The end of the human advantage. In A study Published a few weeks ago, China seems to have achieved an unprecedented advance in air combat. As? By eliminating the last tactical advantage of human pilots over artificial intelligence: the ability to maneuver and high intensity to evade attacks.
A team of researchers from the North -Western Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, a key branch of the Norinco Armament Gianthas developed a system that combines advanced infrared images with predictive modeling of AI to Precision anticipate movements of an opponent by detecting subtle adjustments on their control surfaces, such as ailerons and rudders.
The study. The advance, detailed in a work published in December in it Journal of Gun Launch & Controladdresses a key limitation of AI systems in air combat: their dependence on trajectory -based predictions, which also fail to respond effectively to non -linear and sudden maneuvers of human pilots.
The team, led by engineer Lin Zhiwei, overcame this problem by focusing on the Physical mechanics of enemy aircraftallowing AI to interpret millimeter movements on the control surfaces to predict actions before they are completed.
How it works. As detailed, the system is based on the use of a modified neuronal network Yolov8the same that analyzes infrared images and Detect microdeformations In the components of the plane, such as the rudder of 1.5 meters from an F-15 or its two-meter stabilizer. These data are then processed in a long and short term memory network (LSTM) Improved with care mechanisms, which allows anticipating the pilot maneuvers in real time, without depending solely on previous flight patterns.
In simulations, AI managed to reduce prediction errors less than two meters. It is no small thing, let’s think that it is an improvement of ten times with respect to traditional systems. Applied to automated anti -aircraft systems, this precision would even allow direct attacks directly to the pilot’s cabin if necessary.
The test. In their study, the researchers tested the algorithm in flight profiles that They imitated real tactics fighting. In one of these scenarios, an F-15 launched ammunition at low altitude and then performed an abrupt ascent, a maneuver that requires a millimeter coordination of flight controls.
In another case, the aircraft executed rapid evasions with erratic movements and sudden changes of direction. In both experiments, the AI predicted the displacements Milliseconds in advancecanceling the pilot’s evasion capacity.
A new chapter in the arms race. The advance comes at a key moment in the global race for the supremacy of AI in air combat. In 2020, The Alphadogfight Trials From the Advanced Defense Research Projects (DARPA) of the United States They demonstrated the superiority of AI in combat simulations. More recently, in 2024, an AI system participated in A real dogfight against a human pilot for the first time.
The difference? The Chinese team emphasizes that its technology is designed to Optimize fire controlmore than to allow completely autonomous attacks. However, the principles of their AI align with international programs such as “loyal wingman” drones of the United States Air Force, which combine piloted airplanes with combat systems.
Plus: The study also confirms that technology is viable with current hardware. Using Chinese manufacturing PS800 infrared sensors, which achieve a resolution of 0.375 miliradia at distances of eight kilometers, the required precision levels are reached For use in real combat.
Limitations and countermeasures. Despite its advanced abilities, the system is not invulnerable, of course. One of its main weaknesses expressed by the authors themselves is the possible Interference for electronic countermeasures and optics (such as We have counted in several occasions).
In other words: an adversary could use high -power lasers to blind or even destroy the infrared chambers that AI needs to detect the movements of the enemy. There is still a wide margin of improvement.
The future of air combat. What seems clear is that the development of this technology represents a turning point in the Air War. Until now, human pilots had a fundamental advantage: what is not studied, the ability to Perform unpredictable maneuvers To avoid being shot down.
However, with the ability of this algorithm described to read even the most subtle movements of a combat plane and predict their trajectory with millimeter precision, human pilots could be very close to losing their last tactical advantage and opportunity to overcome machines in a contest. The drones They started the change In real fighting, now it seems that the completely autonomous war is one step closer.
In Xataka | One of China’s best saved secrets comes to light: it presents its new J-35a hunt, American F-35 rival
In Xataka | The secret of Chinese fighter pilots is a very particular technique of the Song dynasty: qigong