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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

‘Autonomy, not flesh’: RAF chief outlines AI drone-powered future

A Typhoon climbs steeply against a clear blue sky, trailing flame from its engine
Typhoon fighters would be accompanied by four AI-enabled drones to monitor its surroundings. Photograph: Okolo Vision/Alamy

A future Royal Air Force will rely on “autonomy not flesh”, its chief said on Monday as he described plans in which Typhoon fighters are accompanied by four AI-enabled drones capable of patrolling hundreds of miles in the distance.

The technological shift would revolutionise warfare, limit the role of military personnel “towards the outside” and ease the pressure on recruitment, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth said in a speech in London.

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