Autonomous airpower: The new aircraft transforming the battlespace in the skies

Autonomous combat aircraft are being built at a rapid and accelerating rate, driven by the global arms race and significant development in artificial intelligence. 

The latest addition, the X-BAT developed by Shield AI, is fully autonomous and purpose-built for air-to-air combat – even capable of engaging in dogfights.

It can fly more than 2,000 nautical miles, fully armed, with its VTOL capabilities allowing it to operate from ships, islands or anywhere where a runway is not an option.

• Digital dogfight: Who would win between an AI fighter pilot and a human?
• The AI-controlled XQ-58A Valkyrie: the perfect wingman for a human fighter pilot
• AI-powered swarms that pick their own targets mark the future of drone warfare

More than just the future of the frontline, the battlespace in the skies is evolving faster than you might think.

In the video above, BFBS Forces News takes a closer look at the X-BAT and its capabilities, as well as the General Atomics YFQ-42 – an aircraft designed to operate alongside human-crewed fighters like the F-35, and heralded by its creators as the next step in aviation history.