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Volume 01 |
Issue 29 |
December 21, 2020
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AI Co-pilot, Orbs, El Al Airlines COVID-19 Q&A
Welcome back to the Future of Aerospace, where each week we dive into a few of the trends rapidly defining the next generation of aircraft and aerial markets.
SpaceX’s last launch of 2020, a rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office satellite, blasted off successfully on Dec. 19 from Kennedy Space Center. Check out SpaceX's video from a helicopter of their 26th launch.
Amazon has completed initial development of the user terminal for Project Kuiper, it’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation in development. The prototype design has delivered speeds up to 400 Mbps and streamed 4K-quality video in tests with a Geostationary (GEO) satellite. More on that here.
THIS WEEK: In what the U.S. Air Force said was the first time artificial intelligence (AI) has commanded a military system, an AI algorithm helped to steer the radar of a Lockheed Martin U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and navigate the plane in a Dec. 15 flight from Beale AFB, Caif. (Autonomy & AI)
Orbs, which are essentially electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, are novel in how they operate and the technology they use presents the military with new use cases for old problems. Orbs can be manned or unmanned and incorporate non-traditional electric or hybrid propulsion. During a panel at AFWERX Accelerate, military leaders discussed how orbs could be used in future contingency response and personnel recovery missions. (Electrification & Sustainability)
Via Satellite, a sister publication to Aviation Today, sat down with Tal Kalderon, El Al Airlines’ head of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity, to discuss the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s current IFC model, and where El Al plans to move next. (COVID-19 Impact)
Thanks for reading.
—The Future of Aerospace Team
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| Artificial Intelligence Used as Co-Pilot for Autonomous U.S. Air Force U-2 Spy Plane Flight |
Image: U.S. Air Force
In what the U.S. Air Force said was the first time artificial intelligence (AI) has commanded a military system, an AI algorithm helped to steer the radar of a Lockheed Martin U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and navigate the plane in a Dec. 15 flight from Beale AFB, Caif.
Air Combat Command’s (ACC) U-2 Federal Laboratory researchers at Beale AFB developed the ARTUµ AI algorithm and trained it “to execute specific in-flight tasks that otherwise would be done by the pilot,” the Air Force said on Dec. 16.
What is the ARTUµ AI algorithm and what happened on Dec. 15?
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- Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper: “Call sign ‘Artu?,’ we modified world-leading ?Zero gaming algorithms to operate the U-2's radar. This first AI copilot even served as mission commander on its seminal training flight!”
- During the flight, ARTUµ helped navigate the aircraft and used the radar to search for enemy missile launchers, while the pilot flew the aircraft coordinated with the AI on sensor operation, and used the radar to look for “threatening aircraft,” the Air Force said.
- Some of the 27 operational U-2s carry the Raytheon Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System-2A (ASARS-2A)–like the one used in the AI co-piloted flight demonstration–in their nose
- The venerable U-2 has been a showcase for Air Force machine learning efforts.
- Last month, Lockheed Martin demonstrated distributed processing using Kubernetes aboard the U-2, and the Air Force has said that the U-2’s computers have run advanced machine learning algorithms without degrading the effectiveness of the aircraft’s flight and mission systems.
- The Dec. 15 U-2 flight “directly answers the [2018] National Defense Strategy’s call to invest in autonomous systems,” Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said in a statement. “Innovations in artificial intelligence will transform both the air and space domains.”
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Roper: “Putting AI safely in command of a U.S. military system for the first time ushers in a new age of human-machine teaming and algorithmic competition. Failing to realize AI’s full potential will mean ceding decision advantage to our adversaries.”
Read the full story here.
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| What Role Could Orbs Play in Future Military Operations? |
Image: Joby Aviation received the first military airworthiness for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle from the AFWERX Agility Prime program. (Joby Aviation)
Orbs, which are essentially electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, are novel in how they operate and the technology they use presents the military with new use cases for old problems. Orbs can be manned or unmanned and incorporate non-traditional electric or hybrid propulsion.
During a panel at AFWERX Accelerate, military leaders discussed how orbs could be used in future contingency response and personnel recovery missions.
Use Cases:
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- Contingency Response: “If the military used orbs for these missions, they could transport the team around the field to conduct an operations assessment and then exfiltrate them back to the main operating base without having to sling load the team and equipment, Lt. Col. Shane Hughes, 621st Contingency Response Wing USAF, explained during an AFWERX Accelerate panel. Once the airfield is established, the orbs could then be used to set up distribution points at greater and more remote distances than trucks could traditionally reach.”
- Col. Peter White, Commander 563D rescue group USAF on CSAR: “We need the ability to spoke out of a hub and to get as far forward on the battlespace as possible to provide responsive CSAR coverage for our fighter bomber. So orbs, like I said, can really really help mitigate some of these problems. I see that obviously with low POL [petroleum, oil, lubricants] and parts requirements, solid-state technology, all this well to reduce the number of personnel needed to maintain aircraft, as well as the size of the CSAR spoke that we would put forward on in the battlespace.”
- LCDR Bill Haywood, UAS program manager for USCG office of aviation forces, on Search and Rescue missions: “To supplement using these orbs for short-range search and rescue, dropping gear to survivors until another asset can come and recover them whether it be a boat or a helicopter, they can get out there on scene monitoring, even just staying airborne for a comms platform.”
- The Air Force is shifting its operating concept to meet the demands of great power competition which involves moving sustained forces under attack, Col. Peter White, Commander 563D rescue group USAF, said.
- To do this, the Air Force needs to be leaner and lighter but they are facing challenges with oil requirements, personnel to maintain complicated aircraft, spare parts, and coverage areas. White says all of these can be overcome using orbs.
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When developing orbs, the military and industry are focusing on a DevOps model, Capt. Terrence McKenna, 370th Flight Test Squadron, said. This means bringing in operators early in the development phase to create an open communications line to facilitate use cases. They are also conducting experiments backed up by in-depth analysis.
McKenna: “Those experiments help us assess possible use cases for existing tech without deriving explicit requirements at the outset so a different take on kind of a traditional acquisitions model that we're all used to.”
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| Free Internet is a Must: El Al Airlines Tal Kalderon Talks IFC and Airline COVID-19 Recovery |
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Image: El Al Airlines
El Al Airlines is the national airline of Israel, and has been running strong since 1948. But with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every corner of the world, the airline — like many others — has had to ground flights and change its way of operating. Many airlines have considered moving to a free In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) model during this time, as well as changed their plans for implementing new technologies.
Yet during this time, the satellite industry has seen a few big deals in the IFC space including Intelsat acquiring GoGo’s Commercial Aviation business, and Inmarsat working with Hughes on a Wi-Fi collaboration.
Via Satellite, a sister publication to Aviation Today, sat down with Tal Kalderon, El Al Airlines’ head of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity, to discuss the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company’s current IFC model, and where El Al plans to move next.
Kalderon Q&A:
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- How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected El Al Airlines?
Kalderon: El Al was locked down and grounded almost throughout [all of] the COVID period, except for a few cargo flights. Just in the recent weeks, we have started to fly again to a few destinations, dependent on the health situation in those countries. And actually, just [recently] we announced the opening of a new flight route to Dubai. But at the moment, the airlines and the airport in Israel are prepared for safe flights, both in the preparation of the crews on the flights and with COVID-19 checkpoints at the airport. On the economic side, El Al has a new shareholder who has brought the airline additional investment. And we hope that if the vaccine is developed and distributed soon, we'll begin to feel the recovery in the aviation and tourism sector.
- A lot of providers have talked about using a free model for Wi-Fi, especially during this pandemic. What business model does El Al use?
Kalderon: Like many airlines, we're charging for internet use on El Al flights, but, I believe, not for long. I'm a great believer in free internet on board. And I think airlines are also starting to conclude that what happens on the ground will happen in the air. Nowadays, the internet in hotels and restaurants is free. And airlines understand that they will have to find another way to put the funding for internet activities on flights — and not at the expense of the passenger. I'm working on a new model and I believe we'll implement it quite soon.
- What does the next generation of IFC services look like for El Al? Are you transitioning to the free model?
Kalderon: Yes. In my opinion, the ideal would be a free internet that allows the passenger to access their personal accounts on sites such as Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify. This way, the passenger will get their favorite content from huge libraries that we, as an airline, can never compete with. This situation requires technological improvements, mainly in the field of bandwidth and geographical coverage of satellites. As far as I know, internet service providers are already working on it. I assume that in the next year or two, there will be a significant improvement in the connectivity technology on board. Once passengers are able to browse and use streaming sites, it will allow airlines to invest less in getting and buying content rights, and invest more in technology to enrich the passenger experience. I also think it is better to allow passengers to browse and get the content to the seatback screen in front of them, and not to their personal device.
- When people get back to flying, how realistic is free Wi-Fi? Will this be the overall standard?
Kalderon: I really hope so. We will have to be very creative in order to find ways to finance free internet. In today's situation, it will be very difficult for the airline to absorb the entire cost. But on the other hand, when the internet is free, the user take-up rate is much higher. When the take-up rate is high, it will be easier to get the advertisers or sponsors or corporations to fund the intended use.
- How much has El Al had to scale back flights? With less flights, have you had to scale back your connectivity plans?
Kalderon: As I mentioned at the beginning, planes were grounded most of the time, and there were no flights. So, we had to disable the data service. And now that the flights are back, we will return the service.
- Are there any new technologies the airline is looking into, and do you see any competitive offerings coming into your arena?
Kalderon: What I'm looking for today is a significant improvement in bandwidth that will allow a large number of passengers to use high quality video, and at the same time, satellite coverage over all of our flight routes. Those are the main things that will allow us to approach the next step of building passenger access to streaming sites. The technological challenges are huge, and it is important to do it smartly, with a long-term vision that will enable the creation of a platform that significantly upgrades the customer experience. At the same time, it becomes a source of revenue and profit for the airlines.
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Kalderon: “Many airlines and many of my colleagues are thinking the same way: that free internet is a must. And most airlines will have to find other ways to fund it. There are ways to sponsor it, but it's not easy, especially these days. But I believe that it will be a must. In a year or two years from now, I believe that the internet will be free on most airlines.”
Read the full story here.
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