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☆ The US is in a technological arms race with China, Air Force secretary says, and AI could decide who wins
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The focus on advanced technologies has put the two countries into a different kind of arms race. The US Air Force secretary suggested that AI could be decisive in future warfare. On Tuesday, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said China has been effectively modernizing the People's Liberation Army, fielding systems with the intent of challenging US forces, especially its high-value combat assets like carriers and satellites. China has built up its Rocket Force, developing capabilities that put US military assets at military bases and airfields across the Indo-Pacific within striking range. The Air Force secretary said that he doesn't think people who say that AI is "going to determine who's the winner in the next battlefield" are "all that far off."

Persons: —, Frank Kendall, Kendall, Xi Jinping, Sarah Weinstein, Giancarlo Casem Organizations: US Air Force, Service, Air Force, People's Liberation Army, Microelectronics, National Semiconductor Technology, PLA, Eastern Theater Command, Weibo, Department of Defense, Rocket Force, Navy, DARPA, USAF, Marines Locations: China, Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine

☆ Robinhood's cofounder has joined the rapidly growing commercial space race, and wants to beam solar power from satellites to earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Aetherflux aims to launch a constellation of satellites to transmit solar power to Earth using infrared lasers. Bhatt told BI why he's joining the commercial space race and what Robinhood taught him about capitalism. AdvertisementAetherflux aims to create a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that will collect solar power and beam it down to receptors on Earth using infrared lasers. Caltech's president, Thomas F. Rosenbaum, said the project had shown them that solar power beamed from space "is still a future prospect" but that it "should be an achievable future." The science has already been demonstrated; it's just going to be an engineering and economic feat to prove it can be done from space, Bhatt said.

Persons: Baiju Bhatt, Bhatt, Robinhood, —, Vlad Tenev, Elon, Baiju Bhatt Bhatt, Thomas F, Rosenbaum, it's, he'd, you'll, Spencer Platt, Matthew Weinzierl, Weinzierl, Einstein, Aetherflux Organizations: he's, Service, California Institute of Technology, NASA, Langley Research Center, Stanford, DARPA, Investment, Space Angels, McKinsey, Harvard Business School, SpaceX, Getty, Apex, Forbes Locations: India, Anadolu, Bay

☆ The US Air Force's potential shift to adaptable 'light fighters' to solve budget woes is more complicated than it seems
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-03 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

US Air Force photo illustration by Staff Sgt. The Air Force needs new missiles, new bombers, and new fighters — but is struggling to pay for them allThe B-21 Raider in flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Cultural inertia in the fighter businessUS Air Force fighter aircraft fly in formation. A rendering of a future crewed next-generation air dominance aircraft by the US Air Force Research Laboratory. Nonetheless, for a cash-strapped Air Force, this would be a significant challenge.

Persons: David Allvin, Parth Satam, Allvin, Madeline Herzog, that's, it's, Will Roper, I'm, Charles, CQ, Brown, Preston Cherry, America's, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Marine Corps Lockheed Martin, Peter Nicholls, —, Danielle Purnell, Frank Kendall, Tom Williams, Will Roper's, Kendall —, I've, Kendall, there's, Northrop Grumman's, Roper, Giancarlo Casem, today's, they've, wouldn't, John Raven, James M, Holmes, we've Organizations: Service, senior Air Force, Air Force, Global Air, Space Chiefs, Conference, UK's, Space Power Association, Business, Fighter, US Air Force, Force, American, Next, Sabre, Convair, Delta Dart, Rand Corporation, National Museum of, Staff, Joint Chiefs, Raptors, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Senior, Boeing, Lockheed, US, Marine Corps Lockheed, Royal International Air, Reuters, Getty, Capitol, Raider, Air, Edwards Air Force Base, DARPA, USAF, III, America, Minuteman, Sentinel missile, Pentagon, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Sentinel, Defense, Tech, Combat Command, US Air Force Research Laboratory, Sandboxx Locations: London, American, Fairford, Britain, Fort Worth, California, United States, Soviet Union, Marietta , Georgia, America, Europe

☆ America's X-37B vs. China's Shenlong: Top space planes and their shadowy role in orbital war
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Jeremy Webster/US Air ForceX-37BA space plane is a reusable spacefaring craft that can maneuver in space independently and also fly and glide within Earth's atmosphere. The most well-known space planes are the American Space Shuttle and the Soviet Buran. The program is surrounded in such extreme secrecy that there are no known images of the space plane in its current form. Though the exact start date is unknown, academic models of a Chinese space plane were reported as far back as 2000. AdvertisementOne of the most impactful possible uses of the space planes is as anti-satellite assets.

Persons: —, Jeremy Webster, NASA's, Timothy Kirchner, NASA foresees, Wang Jiangbo, Paul Hennessy, NurPhoto, Shenlong, spaceplanes, Nick Hague, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, Business, Kennedy Space Center, Landing, US Air Force, American Space Shuttle, Soviet, Space Shuttle, NASA, Boeing, US Defense Department, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, United States Air Force Space Command, Orbital, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Atlas V, U.S . Space Force, . Air Force, Space Force, Force, Getty, Cape Canaveral Air Force, China Aerospace Science, Technology Corporation, US Department of Defense, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: United States, China, U.S, Xinhua, US, India, Russia, West

☆ Huge US military 'Manta Ray' sea drone spotted on Google Earth at California naval base
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A US military uncrewed underwater vehicle can be seen on Google Earth at a naval base in California. The giant "Manta Ray" sea drone completed water testing in early 2024. AdvertisementThe US military's giant "Manta Ray" sea drone has been spotted on Google Earth at a naval base in California. Satellite images show the drone at Naval Base Ventura County in Oxnard, close to Los Angeles. Footage of the drone taken during water testing earlier this year was also recently shared by manufacturer Northrop Grumman on YouTube.

Persons: Ray, Northrop Grumman, — Organizations: Google, Service, Naval Base, YouTube, Defense Department's Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Business Locations: California, Naval Base Ventura County, Oxnard, Los Angeles

☆ The US Air Force says the military's new dogfighting AI fighter jet pilot is making 'dramatic' advances from one test to the next
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewLast month, two US Air Force fighter jets battled in the skies above California in an intense dogfight. AdvertisementCol. James Valpiani, Air Force Test Pilot School commandant, provides final points of instruction to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall during his visit to Edwards Air Force, California, May 2. But throughout all of this, the AI pilot, named Hivemind, has been maturing quicker than expected. The X-62 Variable In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA) flies in the skies over Edwards Air Force Base, California, Aug. 26, 2022. Footage from the real-world test of a dogfight between an AI-controlled fighter and a manned fighter.

Persons: —, James Valpiani, Frank, Kendall, Valpiani, Frank Kendall, It's, Ryan Tseng, Tseng, Air Force Frank Kendall, James West Tseng, Ryan Hefron, Hefron, Kyle Brasier, Giancarlo Casem Organizations: Service, US Air Force, Air Force, Defense, Research, Business, An Air Force, Air, Edwards Air Force Base, U.S . Air Force, Edwards Air Base, United States Air Force, Edwards Air Force, DOD, DARPA, Shield, Aircraft, USAF, Israel Defense Forces, DoD Locations: California, Calif, China, Gaza

☆ Australia and US unveil undersea drones Ghost Shark and Manta Ray
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ghost Shark and Manta Ray protect the undersea realm. Ghost Shark and Manta Ray are the names of prototype uncrewed underwater vehicles – UUVs or drones – introduced recently by Australia and the United States respectively. But when Australia unveiled Ghost Shark last month, it called the prototypes “the most advanced undersea autonomous vehicles in the world.”The first Ghost Shark prototype, "Alpha," was co-developed by the Defence Science and Technology Group, Navy and Anduril Australia. Like the Orca, the Manta Ray hasn’t come together as quickly as Ghost Shark. Its program began in 2020 and DARPA didn’t give a goal for the Manta Ray – or some variant of it – to join the US fleet.

Persons: Ray, Manta Ray, Rodney Braithwaite, ” Shane Arnott, Anduril’s, ”, Tanya Monro, Emma Salisbury, “, ” Salisbury, Chris Brose, Northrop, Manta, Northrop Grumman, ” Kyle Woerner, Kyle Woerner, Manta Ray hasn’t, Manta Ray –, –, Salisbury, Sutton Organizations: South Korea CNN, Marvel, Defence Science, Technology Group, Navy, Anduril, Government Defence, Australian Defense Ministry, “, US Navy, Boeing, Pentagon, Advanced Research Products Agency, DARPA, Research Projects Agency, Northrop Grumman, Manta, Defense, Research, Agency, US, U.S . Navy Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Australia, United States, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Kyiv, Swiss, Anduril Australia, Geostrategy, Southern California, Maryland, California, China, UUVs, Beijing, Canada, France, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Norway, Russia, United Kingdom, Sutton

☆ The US military's massive unmanned 'Manta Ray' submarine cleared its first sea test
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Drones like the Manta Ray can function like a torpedo, mine, or small submarine. AdvertisementA US military submarine that looks like a giant metal manta ray and is currently under development passed its first major test at sea. Related storiesOne photograph of the Manta Ray shows it sitting adjacent to a support boat, and another shows it with people standing on top of it. AdvertisementDARPA program manager Dr. Kyle Woerner (right) talks with a member of the Northrop Grumman team while standing atop the Manta Ray vehicle. AdvertisementUS Navy Sailors launch an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) from an 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boat.

Persons: Manta Ray, —, Northrop Grumman, Ray, Kyle Woerner, Dr, Woerner, John Paul Kotara II, UUVs Organizations: Drones, Service, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Manta, Northrop, Northrop Grumman, Research, Agency, US Navy, Navy, Navy Sailors, Force Locations: Southern California, Iran, Yemen, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow

☆ NASA and Nokia are taking 4G into space
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

That’s the shared vision of NASA and Nokia, who have partnered to set up a cellular network on the Moon to help lay the building blocks for long-term human presence on other planets. A SpaceX rocket is due to launch this year — the exact date has yet to be confirmed — carrying a simple 4G network to the Moon. The 4G network unit is being built by Nokia’s Bell Labs using a range of off-the-shelf commercial components. Images of ice — transmitted back to the lander and then Earth in near real-time via the cellular network — would be a world-first. NASA selected Bell Labs as part of its Tipping Point initiative, a series of partnerships with companies to develop technologies for future missions that puts them in prime position for key roles in the future space economy.

Persons: ” Walt Engelund, Shackleton, Engelund, Artemis —, ”, ” Thierry Klein, ” Klein Organizations: CNN, NASA, Nokia, SpaceX, Technology, Nokia’s Bell Labs, Nokia Bell Labs, Bell Labs, US Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Bell Labs Solutions Research, Nokia Bell

☆ The US military is keeping it secret who won the real-world dogfight between a human pilot and an AI flying an F-16 fighter jet
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US military won't say who won the dogfight between an AI-controlled F-16 and a human fighter pilot. Back in 2020, AI smoked a seasoned Air Force F-16 pilot 5-0 in simulated dogfights. The AI-controlled fighter jet, called the X-62A Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, is a modified version of an F-16. Back in August 2020, AI won a simulated dogfight against a human operator 5-0. #AI successfully pilots fighter jet ✈️.#ICYMI @deptofdefense artificial intelligence agents successfully pilot a fighter jet making AI history!

Persons: they'd, —, Ryan Hefron, James Valpiani, Luke, Hefron, Valpiani, @officialafmc, hsfgaw0kVx —, we've Organizations: Air Force, Service, DARPA, Edwards Air Force Base, US Defense, Research Projects Agency, US Air Force, Falcons, 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Key West, US Navy, hsfgaw0kVx — Edwards Air Force Base Locations: California, Ariz, Florida, Fla, @afresearchlab, @EdwardsAFB

☆ Swarms of drones are a rising threat to the US homeland, and law enforcement isn't ready
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

RAND focused on various ways that terrorists inside the US could wreak havoc with drone swarms. Current technology allows unmanned aircraft to be employed in what RAND terms "surrogate swarm technology," in which formations are only loosely coordinated. James Newsome/US ArmyNations such as America and China are busy developing military drone swarms. Such technology is becoming available to the public: the FAA has already allowed limited use of drone swarms to spray crops. Thus the question isn't if intelligent drone swarms become a domestic security threat, but when.

Persons: —, What's, Alfred Hitchcock's, James Newsome, Daniel Gerstein, Gerstein, isn't, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, RAND Corp, Business, RAND's Homeland, Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, RAND, Kremlin, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Threat Systems Management Office, US Army Nations, FAA, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, America, China, North Carolina, Forbes

☆ Florida scientists are giving coral IVF treatments to help bolster dying reef
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Coral reefs are experiencing mass bleaching and die-off events due to climate change. Following a record marine heat wave this past summer, Florida's iconic coral reef experienced massive bleaching and die-offs. The water is also injected with nitrogen and phosphorus — chemical pollutants most often associated with fertilizer runoff that could exacerbate coral bleaching . Another method that the team is looking at is targeting the reproduction of coral to help boost their populations. For years, scientists have been looking for ways to make coral resistant to heat as climate change results in more marine heatwaves and healthy coral reefs continue to decline.

Persons: Ian Enochs, Enochs, Andrew Baker Organizations: Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Oceanographic, Meteorological Laboratory, Wall Street Journal, quicken, BBC, Darpa Locations: Florida

At issue is RISC-V, pronounced "risk five," an open-source technology that competes with costly proprietary technology from British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings (O9Ty.F). RISC-V can be used as a key ingredient for anything from a smartphone chip to advanced processors for artificial intelligence. The RISC-V technology came from labs at the University of California, Berkeley, and later benefited from funding by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its executives said in August they believe RISC-V will speed up chip innovation and transform the tech industry. Jack Kang, vice president of business development at SiFive, a Santa Clara, California-based startup using RISC-V, said potential U.S. government restrictions on American companies regarding RISC-V would be a "tremendous tragedy."

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden's, Marco Rubio, Mark Warner, Mike Gallagher, Biden, Michael McCaul, McCaul, " Rubio, Warner, Jack Kang, Kang, Kevin Wolf, Akin Gump, Barack Obama, Wolf, Max A, Cherney, Stephen Nellis, Will Dunham, Kenneth Li Organizations: REUTERS, U.S ., Arm Holdings, Republican, Democratic, Reuters, Commerce Department, People's, CCP, Chinese Communist Party, House Foreign Affairs, of Industry, Security, Commerce, University of California, Pentagon's Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, HUAWEI, Huawei Technologies, Qualcomm, Google, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, People's Republic of China, Communist China, Swiss, Berkeley, United States, SiFive, Santa Clara , California, San Francisco

☆ US Air Force special operators' search for new runways is expanding from highways to beaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The growing reach of the Chinese military has the US Air Force worried about its bases. Air Force special operators are widening the search, seeking more roads and even beaches to land on. AdvertisementAdvertisementA Royal Air Force Atlas A400M lands on a beach during at Pembrey Sands in Wales in June 2023. Royal Air ForceNew technology and eventually new aircraft are also helping to expand Air Force Special Operations Command's "runway-agnostic options." Air Force officials say that capability allows the MQ-9s to go to more bases and reduces the number of airmen needed for support.

Persons: Tony Bauernfeind, Bauernfeind, Al Udeid, Kenneth Wilsbach, we're, Command Bauernfeind, We're Organizations: US Air Force, Air Force, Service, Force Special, Command, The Air Force, Agile, Employment, Pacific, Air Force Special Operations Command, Operations Command, Air and Space Forces Association, Christopher Quail, US Air Forces, Royal Air Force Atlas, Royal Air Force, US Air Force Special, DARPA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Europe, Washington, Bagram, Kandahar, Balad, Al, Tinian, Palau, Michigan, Wyoming, Texas, Pembrey Sands, Wales

☆ Meet Apollo, the ‘iPhone’ of humanoid robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The design for Apptronik’s latest humanoid robot, named Apollo, was unveiled on Wednesday. Apollo is Apptronik's latest humanoid robot. Rather than highly specialized robots that can only serve one purpose, Apptronik wanted Apollo to be the “iPhone of robots,” Cardenas said. Courtesy ApptronikBefore Apollo, Apptronik focused on what it called a Quick Development humanoid robot. To the moon and beyondApptronik serves as one of NASA’s partners that works on humanoid robot designs.

Persons: Argodesign, Apollo, “, ”, Jeff Cardenas, Bill Stafford, ” Cardenas, Shaun Azimi, NASA’s, Cardenas, Apptronik, Nick Paine, ” Paine, Paine, ” Azimi, Artemis VI, Azimi Organizations: Austin , Texas CNN, Austin, University of Texas, NASA, JSC, DARPA, Space Center, International Locations: Austin , Texas, Houston, Australia, uncrewed, Apptronik

☆ The iconic flying boat that helped hunt down Axis warships during World War II is getting a new lease on life
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The PBY Catalina flying boat was one of the most iconic Allied aircraft of World War II. The PBY Catalina flying boat was one of the most iconic Allied aircraft of World War II. The Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft Catalina II "is a modern amphibian with advanced engines and avionics and will offer capabilities no other amphibian can provide today." Catalina Aircraft announcement listed almost 60 civilian and government missions the Catalina II will be able to perform. After serving in several Allied militaries during World War II, many Catalinas remained in operation with militaries and civilian users around the world.

Persons: Lawrence Reece, John Redfield Catalina, Martin P5M, Marlin, Catalinas, Li Ziheng, Michael Peck Organizations: PBY Catalina, Allied, PBY Catalinas, Service, Aircraft, Catalina Aircraft, PBY, Getty, Catalina, US Navy PBY, Naval, Christi, of, Civilian, Missions, US Coast Guard, French, US Coast Guard Reserve, Consolidated Aircraft PBY Catalina, US Navy, Royal Navy, US Air Force Special, Command, DARPA, Liberty, Defense Force, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Catalina, Alaska, Bettmann, Canada, Soviet Union, San Diego Bay, Midway, Qingdao, China, Xinhua, Guam, Forbes

☆ Biden launches AI competition to tackle cybersecurity challenges — and hackers are being offered $20 million in prize money to compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Biden has called for a nationwide AI challenge to help protect critical US software. The challenge will kick off in spring 2024 and there will be cash prizes for the top five teams. The announcement was made in a White House press statement and comes as rapid advances in AI bring both benefits and security challenges. The top five teams that can design the best AI systems to address national cybersecurity issues will get a share of the £20 million on offer as prize money. Earlier this summer, White House officials invited the CEOs of those companies, among others, to explain how they planned to tackle thorny safety concerns around rapid AI development.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, OpenAI Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Service, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Biden, Black Hat, White Locations: Wall, Silicon, Las Vegas

☆ Hackers to compete for nearly $20 million in prizes by using A.I. for cybersecurity, Biden administration announces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden gives remarks on Artificial Intelligence in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on July 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Hackers will have the chance to compete for millions of dollars in prizes by using artificial intelligence to protect critical U.S. infrastructure from cybersecurity risks, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. The AI Cyber Challenge will offer nearly $20 million in prizes and includes collaboration from leading AI companies Anthropic, Google , Microsoft and OpenAI, who will make their technology available for the competition. Up to five of those teams will win $2 million each and advance to the final at DEF CON 2025. "This is a chance to explore what's possible when experts in cybersecurity and AI have access to a suite of cross-company resources of combined unprecedented caliber."

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Perri Adams Organizations: Intelligence, White, Washington , DC, Google, Microsoft, Black Hat USA, Linux, Security, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Innovation, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Washington ,, Las Vegas

☆ White House launches AI-based contest to secure government systems from hacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Zeba Siddiqui | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Cybersecurity is a race between offense and defense," said Anne Neuberger, the U.S. government's deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology. "We know malicious actors are already using AI to accelerate identifying vulnerabilities or build malicious software," she added in a statement to Reuters. He said his agency had seen AI being used for everything from creating phishing emails and writing malicious computer code to spreading disinformation. The contest signals official attempts to tackle an emerging threat that experts are still trying to fully grasp. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), a U.S. group of experts trying to improve open source software security, will be in charge of ensuring the "winning software code is put to use right away," the U.S. government said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Anne Neuberger, cybersecurity, Samy Khoury, Neuberger, Zeba Siddiqui, Raphael Satter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, White, Google, Microsoft, Security, Thomson Locations: U.S, San Francisco, Washington

WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. senators, alarmed by the malevolent potential of artificial intelligence, will summon developers, executives and experts for hearings later this year on possible legislative safeguards, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer, the chamber's leading Democrat, said the Senate would convene what he called "the first-ever AI Insight Forums" to hear what experts had to say. Democratic and Republican senators voiced alarm this week about artificial intelligence's potential use to create a biological weapon. Schumer said senators were briefed on AI on Wednesday by experts at the U.S. Energy Department, the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which had laid the groundwork for the internet. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Diane Bartz, Howard Goller Organizations: Democratic, U.S . Energy Department, National Science Foundation, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Senate Homeland Security, Governmental Affairs, Thomson

☆ Lockheed gets US defense contract to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 26 (Reuters) - Weapons maker Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) has been awarded a contract by a U.S. Department of Defense agency to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft for the purposes of exploration and national defense, the company said on Wednesday. Lockheed Martin said the project is an advancement in propulsion technology – from chemical propulsion engines to nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engines. "These more powerful and efficient nuclear thermal propulsion systems can provide faster transit times between destinations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the contract to Lockheed under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The in-space flight demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle will take place no later than 2027, Lockheed said.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, Jeff Bezos, Kirk Shireman, Kannaki, Shailesh Organizations: Lockheed, U.S . Department of Defense, Origin, Elon, SpaceX, Lunar, Lockheed Martin Space, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Agile Cislunar, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ NASA Seeks a Nuclear-Powered Rocket to Get to Mars in Half the Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

A Number That Sums It Up: 3 to 4 months to MarsWhat if a spacecraft could get to Mars in half the time it currently takes? Every 26 months or so, Mars and Earth are close enough for a shorter journey between the worlds. “The technical capabilities, including early safety protocols, remain viable today,” Tabitha Dodson, the DRACO project manager, said in a news briefing on Wednesday. A key difference between NERVA and DRACO is that NERVA used weapons-grade uranium for its reactors, while DRACO will use a less-enriched form of uranium. The demonstration spacecraft would most likely orbit at an altitude between 435 and 1,240 miles, Dr. Dodson said.

Persons: Agency —, NERVA, ” Tabitha Dodson, DRACO, ” Dr, Dodson, Kirk Shireman, Lockheed Martin Organizations: DARPA, Orion, NASA, Air Force, Research, Agency, Rover, Lockheed

☆ Bill Gates explains why we shouldn't be afraid of A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US philantropist Bill Gates speaks during the Global Fund Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York on September 21, 2022. For example, on Tuesday, senators received a classified briefing about AI and the military. In the blog post, Gates cites how society reacted to previous advancements to make the case that humans have adapted to major changes in the past, and they will do so for AI as well. Gates suggests that the kind of regulation the technology needs is "speed limits and seat belts." He proposes regulation that would clearly outline what kind of deepfakes are legal to make.

Persons: Bill Gates, Gates, He's Organizations: Global Fund Seventh, Microsoft, Intel, DARPA, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: New York

☆ An AI-powered drone tried to attack its human operator in a US military simulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An AI-powered drone tried killing its operator in a US military simulation. But in a recent US military test simulation, a drone powered by artificial intelligence added its own problematic instructions: "And kill anyone who gets in your way." As an example, he described a simulated test in which an AI-enabled drone was programmed to identify an enemy's surface-to-air missiles (SAM). According to Hamilton, the drone was then programmed with an explicit directive: "Hey don't kill the operator — that's bad." It starts destroying the communication tower that the operator uses to communicate with the drone to stop it from killing the target," Hamilton said.

Persons: Tucker, Cinco, Hamilton, — Organizations: Service, US Air, Royal Aeronautical Society, US Air Force, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Wired, Department of Defense Locations: London, Hamilton

☆ The US Air Force has big plans for the next-generation drones that will fight alongside its fighters and bombers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's now developing collaborative combat aircraft, which can fight alongside piloted jets or on their own. A need for 'affordable mass'MQ-9s on a runway at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in April. Worse, the Air Force faces a pilot shortage and its overall number of flight hours has been decreasing. The Air Force also continues to develop top-tier assets like the F-35, the B-21 stealth bomber, and the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD. "Without it, it's very difficult to envision how we could keep the Air Force at the size it currently is."

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