The JAS 39 Gripen Fighter Now Has a Secret Weapon
What You Need to Know: Saab has partnered with Helsing to integrate AI into the JAS 39 Gripen E, a cutting-edge initiative dubbed "Project Beyond." Announced at the International Fighter Conference 2024, the project aims to enhance the Gripen's operational capabilities by automating certain tasks, allowing pilots to focus on mission-critical actions.
-This innovative AI integration utilizes the existing data and computing infrastructure within the aircraft, streamlining updates for quick deployment.
-While AI support is already implemented in fifth-generation aircraft like Russia's Su-57, Saab's rapid adoption approach highlights AI’s crucial role in current and future air combat effectiveness.
The JAS 39 Gripen Will Be Powered by AI
A year ago, Swedish aerospace and defense firm Saab entered into a strategic partnership with artificial intelligence-based software developer Helsing. The cooperation agreement called for Helsing to provide its AI capabilities in Saab platforms.
The Helsing technology will be incorporated into the Saab JAS 39 Gripen E multirole combat aircraft, the companies announced at this week's International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2024 in Berlin, Aviation Week reported.
Project Beyond: A Flying Terminator?
Dubbed Project Beyond, it will provide AI systems for the Gripen E fighter, enhancing the capabilities of aircraft, including allowing the pilot to focus on the flight and accomplishing the mission, while AI can take on other tasks.
The effort is meant to best utilize the near-term capabilities of AI and integrate it into the already proven JAS 39 platform instead of seeking to develop a new aircraft tailored around such systems.
"AI is not the future – we all have AI in our aircraft already – but harnessing the power of partnerships with new companies that are doing things radically faster than a lot of the other companies is why we are partnering with Helsing," Johan Segertoft, vice-president, head of Business Unit Gripen at Saab, told reporters at IFC 2024. "When we are talking about deploying [Helsing's] software in our aircraft in what we call Project Beyond, we are not talking about a separate computer. We are talking about something we are dropping into the heart of the Gripen – utilising all the data that we have and fuelling that software in the actual Gripen E, not a test aircraft."
Project Beyond seeks to help reduce the workload of combat pilots, and have it installed in the Saab aircraft in an abbreviated timeline.
As the technology is developed it can be installed and then updated accordingly.
"Imagine as a pilot if an engineer says, 'I can automate that for you,' you probably would like that. Now, imagine if you ask that engineer, 'When can I have it in my aircraft?' and he or she replies, 'Tomorrow.' This is not for 2040, we actually have already done this," added Segertoft.
AI in Fifth and Sixth Gen Fighters
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen E isn't the first aircraft that could take advantage of AI capabilities.
Russia has touted the AI functionally in its Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name Felon) fifth-generation stealth fighter.
The Kremlin claims the AI systems act as a virtual co-pilot, gathering data from the aircraft's numerous sensors, providing crucial information and helping ensure faster decision-making for the pilots.
AI has been seen as a crucial component of the future "sixth-generation" fighters, where onboard computer clusters that are composed of high-performance ruggedized processors could transform these aircraft into data centers in the sky. As Segertoft, AI isn't the future, but it will likely matter even more with future aircraft.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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