During a hearing before the US Senate Appropriations Committee on April 9 local time, Mr. Frank Kendall said that he is working to add at least 1,000 AI-operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and will test fly one of them later this spring.

The aircraft that Frank Kendall plans to test ride is an F-16 converted into a UAV.

“A pilot will accompany me and act as an observer, while the AI ​​technology operates on its own. Hopefully we won’t have to fly the plane,” Kendall said.

Last month, the Pentagon confirmed it was looking to develop AI-controlled drones, issuing two contracts for private companies to bid on.

According to Fox News , the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) project is part of a $6 billion program to add at least 1,000 new UAVs to the US Air Force.

The UAVs would be designed to be deployed alongside human-piloted jets, acting as escorts, with full strike capabilities.

According to  the Wall Street Journal, UAVs can also act as reconnaissance or act as communications centers.

Companies bidding for the contract include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril Industries.

The Pentagon’s motivation for pursuing the CCA project is that it helps the Air Force cut costs.

In August 2023, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said that deployed AI-enabled autonomous vehicles would provide “small, smart, cheap and numerous” units for the US military , helping to reform “the too-slow change in US military innovation”.

Building a new UAV fleet is expected to be cheaper than developing new manned jet fighters, Mr Kendall said.

The US goal is to make the UAV cost about one-third or less than the $20 million it takes to build a UAV version of the F-35 fighter jet.