This progressive series of F-22 modernization enhancements feeds into a commensurate effort to update 1980s and 1990s computer technology, in some cases drawing on commercially available technical innovations, such as RedHat open-source software, Merchant explained.
#Glass cockpit upgrade software upgrade
This entire effort synchronizes with a current 3.2b software upgrade (covered extensively in Part 2 of the F-22 series), which uses agile software development to, among other things, upgrade F-22 weapons systems. Faster processing of information, empowering better pilot decisions, it naturally stands to reason, makes a big difference when it comes to the OODA loop. If pilots can complete the OODA loop more quickly than an enemy during an air-to-air combat engagement, described as "getting inside an enemy's decision-making process," they can destroy an enemy and prevail. Related: Russian fighters and F-22s almost had a catastrophic midair crash The concept, dating back decades to former Air Force pilot and theorist John Boyd, has long informed fighter-pilot training and combat preparation. Specifically, Merchant said, F-22 engineers were already exploring a lightweight DAS-like sensor system for the F-22, able to bring advanced tech to the F-22 without compromising stealth advantages or maneuverability.Ĭomputer-enabled AI, naturally, can greatly expedite completion of the Air Force's long-discussed OODA-loop phenomenon, wherein pilots seek to quickly complete a decision-making cycle - Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action – faster than an enemy fighter. Relying on advanced algorithms, this system is often referred to as man-machine interface, able to lower the "cognitive burden" placed on pilots, who can be freed up to focus on other priorities and decisions. The mid-life work on the aircraft, slated for 2024, is primarily geared toward maintaining F-22 technological superiority while both China and Russia fast-track 5th-generation stealth aircraft.Įxploration of AI for the F-22 aligns, in many respects, with the current "sensor fusion" technologies built into the F-35 this includes organizing and displaying information from Electro-Optical/Targeting Systems (EOTS), Distributed Aperture Systems (DAS) and other sensors onto a single screen.
Merchant said the mid-life upgrade will not only extend the functional service life of the aircraft for several more decades, but also reduce technical risk. Many of these considerations, in terms of specifics, are expected to inform an upcoming mid-life upgrade and sustainment enterprise for the F-22 fleet. Should we go to glass and synthesize new sensor inputs in front of the pilot? Can I squeeze all that information into a small display and sustain those for next 20-years, or should I go to glass?" Our cockpit is still a series of six displays. Ken Merchant, Lockheed Vice President of F-22 Programs explained this to Warrior Maven in an interview, "we are starting AI, which includes what includes what we call enterprise sustainment organization. Such AI-oriented technologies can have targeting benefits for combat, threat-recognition improvements, longer-range enemy identification or weapons delivery applications. In particular, this can mean the emergence of multi-function sensors where single systems can simultaneously perform different missions and organize incoming data. Faster analytics, relying on newer forms of computer automation, can more quickly identify problems, recognize threats and streamline various cockpit functions.Īlso read: F-22s will soon deploy anywhere in the world with 24 hours notice For instance, a more integrated computer processor is better-equipped to potentially perform real-time analytics during a mission to make adjustments as maintenance and combat circumstances may require. In concept and application, AI can lower a hardware footprint and increasingly use advanced algorithms to perform processes without requiring as much human intervention. Emily Grabowski, Air Force spokeswoman, told Warrior Maven. The Air Force continuously looks for ways to upgrade and enhance capabilities based on threats around the world, to include the F-22 sensors," Capt.
"The Air Force has made progress with efforts to upgrade sensors on the F-22. Common IP protocol standards, including both software and hardware, are engineered to provide a technical backbone enabling upgrades and integration of a variety of interconnected systems-to include radar warning receivers, AESA radar, LINK 16 connectivity, improved weapons, emerging sensor and targeting configurations and new transponders, able to identify friend or foe. The multi-pronged effort is inherently connected to early iterations of increased computer automation and AI, as a mechanism to integrate otherwise disparate elements of F-22 avionics, sensors and mission systems.
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