The U.S. Air Force Wants Lasers Firing From Jets, Drones & Into Outer Space

Video: Army Research Lab Scientist Describes Human Brain as Sensor Connecting With AI

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) Lasers, robots, drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and hypersonic attacks are all areas of concentrated focus for U.S. Air Force innovators now looking to introduce a new generation of weapons into current and future warfare.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is accelerating its Science and Technology 2030 Strategy to fast-track innovations to war for the purpose of deploying a new generation of weapons, computing and sensing to future warfare environments.

“The whole goal here is to create technological surprise,” Brig. Gen Heather Pringle, Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, told The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in a recent video interview.

The AFRL’s S&T 2030 Strategy, in existence for several years now, seeks to quickly connect promising weapons and technologies with the operational combat community and programmatic acquisition process to succeed in leveraging impactful solutions on a faster time frame.

Pringle told Mitchell that the S&T 2030 Strategy prioritizes “artificial intelligence, autonomy, hypersonics, micro electronics, quantum directed energy and biotechnology. We are supporting technology across the entire Kill Chain, including communications, next generation munitions, and a tradable autonomous platform.”