According to the BBC, the Tempest fighter jet, a component of the U.K.’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), would have technology that can read pilots’ minds.
For the development of the Tempest sixth-generation combat fighter jet, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) last year granted a $347 million (£250 million) grant to a group of businesses that includes BAE Systems and Rolls Royce from the United Kingdom, Leonardo from Italy, and missile group MBDA from Europe.
The program is focused on technical advancements that will probably be a difficulty in the not-too-distant future and is intended to replace the fighter jets that are currently in use by the 2040s. Reading the pilot’s mind is one of the ways the consortium plans to employ artificial intelligence (A.I.) to close the communication gap between the pilot and the aircraft
telepathic technology
When the pilot becomes overburdened, the A.I. system is intended to take control and assist. Instead of the pilot having to request assistance, the system will be able to detect instances in which the pilot is not in charge.
To do this, the pilot’s helmet sensors will monitor his or her brain activity as well as other medical information while flying. The A.I. will compile biometric and psychological data with each subsequent flight, store it in a database, and map out the specific traits of the pilot.
In the event that the pilot loses consciousness, the on-board A.I. will recognize this situation and take control of the aircraft.
In addition, it is anticipated that artificial intelligence systems would take over the control of the weapons once the pilot has launched them and make sure they hit their intended targets. Not to mention the drone swarms that will frequently be present when the Tempest fighters fly.
cooperatively created with Japan
Interestingly, the aircraft will share elements with other aircraft being developed abroad because it is a sixth-generation fighter. The Japanese corporation Mitsubishi, which is also developing a sixth-generation fighter for the Japanese military and is known as “Godzilla,” has joined the consortium as a partner.
According to reports, Leonardo and Mitsubishi are collaborating to create an electronic radar to replace the current technology, which bounces off radio frequencies. A.I. systems will be used to manage the data flow to the pilot because an electronic system will gather too many signals for a pilot to process.
This aircraft uses a lot of digital equipment, so the jet engine will also need to be modified. In addition to propelling the aircraft at supersonic speeds, the jet engine also needs to produce power to keep the data processing running continuously. In the previous year, we also revealed that the two governments had agreed to work together on the aircraft’s necessary jet engine and had set aside $300 million for this purpose.