Boeing has announced a partnership with Australia’s Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre (DCRC) to develop advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create smarter unmanned systems.

Embedding machine learning techniques on-board will help unmanned systems better understand and react to threat environments. “Over the next 12 months, Boeing Australia will design and test cognitive AI algorithms to enable sensing under anti-access conditions and to navigate and conduct enhanced tactics in denied environments,” director of Phantom Works International, Dr Shane Arnott said in a statement.

Boeing Australia’s first innovation project with the DCRC will examine an unmanned system’s route planning, location, and identification of objects and the platform’s subsequent behavioural response.

The DCRC for Trusted Autonomous Systems was announced by the Australian Government in 2017 to support the rapid creation and transition of industry-led trustworthy smart-machine technologies through the innovation ecosystem to the ADF.

“Together with Boeing, we are investing in advanced technology that can have real game-changing product outcomes for our military to match the evolving threats and achieve a sustainable autonomous industry for Australia,” CEO of the DCRC for Trusted Autonomous Systems, Professor Jason Scholz added.

Boeing will work with Australian university partners and Brisbane-based supplier RF Designs to flight-test and evaluate the capability with autonomous high performance jets, and it is possible that any developments from this research could be incorporated into the ATS Loyal Wingman program Boeing is developing for the RAAF.