China is engaged in the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in manned fighter jets, which turns the latter into partially or completely unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), says the American edition of The Drive.
The publication drew attention to a picture of one of the air bases in China, where a fourth-generation J-16 fighter is visible among the drones, which is a distant clone of the Soviet Su-27 aircraft and its derivatives. The publication admits that the J-16 could have received an AI system as a co-pilot, which allowed him to control the guided UAVs, or become a full-fledged drone.
Flanker fighter appears among unmanned aircraft at China's secretive drone test base: https://t.co/JDtvyHFYl2- The War Zone (@thewarzonewire) July 2, 2021
The Drive reminds that a similar program is currently being implemented in the United States, called Skyborg, about which, compared to the Chinese one, much more is known.
In July, Breaking Defense wrote that the People's Liberation Army Navy of China has taken another step towards eliminating the latest advantages of the US Navy by receiving a new deck-based stealth fighter known as the J-35, Breaking Defense writes. The American publication notes that officials from Washington were concerned about new images of the J-35 that appeared on the network, where the Chinese plane is located next to the aircraft carrier.
In March, the Global Times, referring to the statement of instructor pilot Wang Songxi from the Air Force of the Northern Command of the People's Liberation Army of China, wrote that the Chinese fourth-generation fighter J-16 is impeccable and far superior to the Russian Su-30.
Ivan Potapov
