The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is working to integrate autonomous technologies and artificial intelligence concepts into its unmanned systems to enable missions in inoperable environments.
Col. Joel Babbitt, program executive officer for Special Operations Forces Warrior, said at a National Defense Industrial Association event that USSOCOM is specifically looking into expanding autonomy in its unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) activities, National Defense Magazine reported Monday.
He noted that autonomous technologies must also have the capacity to deliver video and imaging data while executing advanced object recognition and target location functions.
“We’ve got loitering missiles, precision strike systems that are helping us to identify targets and strike them themselves when an aircraft can’t necessarily be present,” said Babbitt.
The U.S. Army and Navy are also working to integrate autonomy in their respective combat vehicles and undersea platforms, according to the publication.
The Navy is continuing prototyping efforts for its Overlord vessel as well as the Leidos-built Sea Hunter unmanned platform.