As drones spread out into crowded skies, the Army hopes artificial intelligence and machine learning can help humans keep up.
A request for information posted on Wednesday seeks ways to ease “the cognitive burden faced by commanders in managing complex airspace operations and maintaining situational awareness in a rapidly evolving battlefield environment.”
The Army wants two types of responses: near-term “fight tonight” gear, and longer-term ideas to integrate AI and ML into next-generation command-and-control systems.
All should take note of Army challenges in:
- Multi-domain operations
- The proliferation of unmanned aerial systems and other emerging platforms
- Contested and congested environments
- Dynamics mission requirements
- Integration of fires and effects
- Data-driven decision making
“AI-enabled airspace management solutions have the potential to address these challenges by leveraging machine learning, predictive analytics, and automation to enhance situational awareness, optimize airspace allocation, and enable rapid decision-making,” the RFI states.
The Army wants to analyze data from multiple sources in real-time, predict airspace usage patterns and recommend proactive steps to improve safety, efficiency, and mission effectiveness.
Some of the goals include real-time conflict detection and resolution, integration of UAS, loitering munitions and autonomous platforms in the Army’s airspace. The service branch also wants greater coordination among fires, effects and airspace users.
Other objectives include resilience against countermeasures, including electronic warfare and jamming.
Responses to the RFI are due Aug. 29.
The Army is also looking for companies with solutions that can be demonstrated in November at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center.
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