Chinese AI simulates hypersonic air battle, offering surprising tactic for winning Mach 11 dogfight
- To defeat enemy in aerial combat, hypersonic plane should zoom ahead and launch missile backwards, according to computer simulation
- The counter-intuitive approach allows a pilot to strike quickly from far away, greatly improving the crew’s chance of survival
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Stephen Chen in Beijing
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Published: 6:00am, 28 Feb, 2023
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Researchers in China say their AI is the first to simulate an aerial battle involving a hypersonic aircraft flying at Mach 11, or 11 times the speed of sound, and the technology came up with a surprising tactic for defeating an enemy.
In the computer simulation, a hypersonic aircraft encountered an enemy fighter jet flying at Mach 1.3, close to the top speed of an F-35.
The hypersonic plane’s pilot was then given an order to kill.
Instinct, along with the results of earlier simulations, should have directed the pilot to head straight towards the target.