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An AI just embarrassed the US Air Force in a virtual dogfight:
We've already seen AI conquer masters of chess, Go, and StarCraft II. But could it defeat an Air Force pilot in a (virtual) dogfight?
[...] Heron [AI] quickly built up a 4-0 lead. Gunned down four times but somehow still alive, Banger [human] had no choice but to change up his gameplan.
"The standard things that we do as fighter pilots are not working, so for this last one, I'll try to change it up a little bit just to see if we can do something different," he said.
"That initial turn is where I lose a lot of life... I've just gotta look for opportunities to minimize that distance separation away from the adversary, try to get him back in so I press inside or stay outside his nose area."
Banger pulled up to 9Gs — nine times the force of gravity — and hit speeds over 500mph. He then dropped the jet down to 13,000 feet, trying to drag Heron close to the ground. The plan seemed to be working. Heron couldn't get its gun low enough to shoot.
But within a few seconds, the AI was back on Banger's tail. Lead commentator Chris "Disco" Demay called the action:
Just inside of 3,000 feet... Looks like Heron's saddling up — and with the kill.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 22 2020, @12:56PM (2 children)
Aren't dog fights so 20th century? Really, if this kind of foolery ever started, an AWACS or other flying command post far away would just call in the appropriate air-to-air missile and end it quickly. A quick goog suggests these can turn at 30 g's or more.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 22 2020, @03:32PM (1 child)
Dog fights as people imagine them largely ended with the World Wars, the kind of tight maneuvers required to do so were pretty much only possible due to the relatively slow speeds of the aircraft. Not that much longer after the barrier to entry got to be rather extreme and only a handful of nations are even capable of producing planes that could engage in a dog fight.
These things happen over time, it's a bit like how the Bismark was a scourge a hundred years ago, but now aircraft carriers are more less the way that naval powers go. Same goes for those large cannons bombarding ports, there are better options for that as well, missiles or just flying bombers from further away.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Saturday August 22 2020, @05:27PM
When the SHTF next time, it's quite possible that "rods from the Gods" will pretty much end the concept of large capital ships in warfare. They may hang around for minor police actions, but if any nation starts dropping kinetic weapons from orbit, the game is over for any stationary or slow moving target on or near the surface. Even AirForce One is vulnerable.
🌻🌻 [google.com]