{"id":29696,"date":"2019-03-14T22:25:16","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T22:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:43:50","slug":"introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 \u201cYou can be my wingman anytime.\u201d In the future, Iceman of \u201cTop Gun\u201d could be saying those words to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/unmanned\/2018\/07\/10\/the-air-force-needs-more-autonomous-jets-less-human-input\/\" target=_blank>an artificial intelligence version of Maverick<\/a> instead of a flesh-and-blood aviator played by Tom Cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At least, that\u2019s the situation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/farnborough\/2018\/07\/17\/air-force-looks-to-accelerate-artificial-intelligence-contracts\/\" target=\"_blank\">Air Force Research Lab<\/a> may be engineering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2018\/03\/30\/chinas-ai-ambitions-are-driving-us-innovation-so-whats-americas-hold-up\/\" target=\"_blank\">with its Skyborg program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will Roper, the Air Force\u2019s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, envisions Skyborg as an AI wingman that will train and learn alongside pilots \u2014 becoming ever more skilled, attuned to the pilot\u2019s needs, and ready to face an onslaught of threats that a human could have difficulty processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/avalon\/2019\/02\/27\/boeing-unveils-loyal-wingman-drone\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/wingman.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Boeing unveils \u2018loyal wingman\u2019 drone<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The concept is designed to perform the role of a loyal wingman to manned platforms and is being developed in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force. A prototype is expected to fly in 2020.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The endeavor is still in its infancy, with AFRL currently still in the process of building an AI entity with academia. However, Roper said there is funding attached to the effort, and the service is considering integrating Skyborg with an unmanned aircraft \u2014 perhaps Boeing\u2019s QF-16, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/video\/2019\/03\/07\/valkyrie-completes-test-flight-defense-news-minute-march-7-2019\/\" target=_blank>Kratos\u2019 stealthy XQ-58 Valkyrie<\/a> or a BQM target drone \u2014 in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t want this to just be a laboratory project that lives and dies there in a petri dish. I want this to become a program,\u201d he told reporters at a conference Wednesday. \u201cI want to see real, operational demonstrations within a couple years. And I will push them to be faster than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roper compared Skyborg to R2-D2, the droid in Star Wars who serves as an assistant to Luke Skywalker when he pilots an X-Wing, and Watson, the AI developed by IBM to answer questions better than a Jeopardy champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Skyborg were integrated with a low-cost, expendable aircraft like Valkyrie, a pilot could send it into a congested airspace fraught with adversaries and stay out of danger. The AI might even be able to respond to threats more quickly than a human pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/unmanned\/2018\/03\/26\/check-out-this-new-video-with-the-air-forces-coolest-future-tech\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/t_1522083705479_name_Drone_shot.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Check out this new video with the Air Force\u2019s coolest future tech<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Swarming drones, new fighter jets and a cruise missile that can disable computers are just some of the concepts featured in a new Air Force video.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or, it could function like Apple\u2019s Siri, a voice-activated presence in the cockpit that responds to \u2014 or even anticipates \u2014 a pilot\u2019s commands, Roper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI expect the first things that we&#8217;ll do will not appear as sexy as what you might imagine in a movie, but will be completely game-changing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Exactly what those first demonstrations will be is still yet to be decided. At some point, Roper said he would like to see Skyborg put into a simulator to train with and against human pilots. He also wants to put the AI into an unmanned aircraft to test how well it can identify different objects and whether it is passing good data back to the pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Roper was clear that human pilots won\u2019t be disappearing any time soon, or perhaps ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to make them more important. We\u2019re going to ask them to do even more, which is not just to fly a wicked fast, lethal plane. We\u2019re going to ask them to fly that plane and then quarterback a team of planes with them. I think it\u2019s going to make being a pilot more exciting,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Skyborg evolves, the Air Force will have to grapple with a number of questions, Roper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For one, how much responsibility should an AI wingman have? What missions can it fly? Can it autonomously make the decision to fire weapons? Does that change based on how much the system has learned over its lifespan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to earn our way to that kind of problem,\u201d Roper said, who added that those questions aren\u2019t insurmountable because Skyborg\u2019s performance in tests can help the Pentagon figure out exactly how much autonomy it should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now I don\u2019t have that AI program to put into the warfighter\u2019s hands to go figure out what the dilemmas are,\u201d he said. &#8220;Once we get that, that technology appears to move so quickly our policies are going to have a hard time catching up to them \u2026 if you can\u2019t create policies, you\u2019re going to have to have the commander\u2019s intent, so that people can make the decision at their level about how to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another issue is what entity inside the Air Force would be responsible for managing Skyborg once it becomes a full-fledged program. Software for an aircraft is usually managed by that platform\u2019s program office. But \u2014 if, for example, Skyborg gets put on the QF-16 \u2014 it may not make sense for the QF-16 office to own that software if the Air Force wants to use that data in other ways, Roper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those are all challenges the Air Force will have to contend with, or risk falling behind competitors like China, who are also prioritizing investments in artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting future. We just have to get over this first hump that it\u2019s a different kind of technology that confounds our acquisition system,\u201d Roper said. \u201cI think once we have it out in the operators\u2019 hands, it opens up new opportunities.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[106,29,16,32,21,111],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3188],"class_list":["post-29696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-it-networks","category-newsletters","category-unmanned","category-unmanned-systems"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TRJL5REF25DKBEFGDL7PSHKNSY","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman - C4ISRNet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"C4ISRNet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 825,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily Brief\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"IT and Networks\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Unmanned\",\n\t                \"Unmanned Systems\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman - C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/14\\\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"IT and Networks\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/it-networks\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"it-networks\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Media for the Intelligence-Age Military | C4ISRNET\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"C4ISRNet\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman - C4ISRNet","description":"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman","og_description":"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","og_site_name":"C4ISRNet","article_published_time":"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00","author":"Valerie Insinna","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Valerie Insinna","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman","datePublished":"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/"},"wordCount":825,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg","articleSection":["Daily Brief","Home","IT and Networks","Newsletters","Unmanned","Unmanned Systems"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/","name":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman - C4ISRNet","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-14T22:25:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:43:50+00:00","description":"Future Air Force pilots might be getting their own R2-D2-like companion.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2019\/03\/14\/introducing-skyborg-your-new-ai-wingman\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IT and Networks","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/","ad_zone":"it-networks"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Introducing Skyborg, your new AI wingman"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","name":"C4ISRNet","description":"Media for the Intelligence-Age Military | C4ISRNET","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization","name":"C4ISRNet","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png","caption":"C4ISRNet"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_4ed037.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"C4ISRNet","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29696"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39657,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29696\/revisions\/39657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29696"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}