Valkyrie: This Autonomous AI Drone Could Be the Military’s Next Weapon | WSJ Equipped

[@savagecub]

From just a purely engineering standpoint these types of weapons make a great deal of common sense. This is the future, like it or not. A drone is always going to be able to out G anything with a human onboard. Plus without the need for things like ejection seats, pressurization and environmental systems the drone is always going to be lighter, faster and more maneuverable as well as cheaper to build and maintain. Additionally when a drone gets shot down there’s no need to launch multiple men and equipment to conduct a search and recovery operation since there’s nothing to recover. It just makes so much more sense.

[@MrMannyhw]

Better have self destruct bomb on it to destroy itself if it get shot down.

[@calokraine5901]

Another game changer 😂

[@amazinkay4512]

Yeah except you forget the lag of decision and maneuvering. A human cab make real tine decisions on their own. They know when to pull off and disengage. These systmes sre not a gane changer.

[@savagecub]

@@amazinkay4512 If one were to apply that logic then why would we ever use Cruise missiles ? Heck, why would we use any missiles ?

[@MiddleAgedMillennial]

We’ve had drones for like 10-15 years now tho? This is just the newest model. We really don’t need an iPhone upgrade drone each year.

[@rickintexas1584]

3,000 mile range, 1800 lbs of munitions, and under $10M, with low radar signature. What an awesome machine.

[@deeppointturkiye2666]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@kenmurray4005]

Waste of money. Just like the F-35's that the USA refuses to give to Ukraine because the USA is afraid Russia might shoot one down. I'm sure China is aware of how scared the USA is to deploy these advanced systems. They'll be fine for air shows within the USA though.

[@mikelbrenn111]

Correction, it will be $30 mil when it comes out for sale.

[@LACHIVA1969]

Reduce the range to 700, miles, make it disposable, and reduce the price to 1 million and there goes the Kerch Bridge. Send 15 to 20 cheap rockets to get the Russian air defense crazy, or even firecrackers.

[@Laminar-Flow]

@@Moskva-uf9bc *cheers for russia*

[@BrandonMeyer1641]

This platform should be adopted. It is one of the most mature unmanned systems out. Kratos is a smaller player, but history tells us that can be a good thing with us government contracts.

[@jonathanpfeffer3716]

It absolutely will be, if not by the US then by someone else. It’s an amazing platform that fits literally perfectly into the Pacific theater’s strategic calculus.

[@Propaneo-insaneo]

If your watching it on KZbin, it is probably in gen 3 at least

[@GM-xk1nw]

@@Propaneo-insaneo ok grandpa

[@jobunaga4178]

weighs about two or three concert grand pianos? riiight... because the average heft of concert grand pianos is common knowledge. can i get the weight of the valkyrie in units of washing machines? or how about in truck tires?

[@waxinyomomma13]

I literally thought the same thing but why not say,"the weight of a small car,"Or "several plastic sporks?"

[@leftwingersareweak]

Lol! How about it weighs about the equivalent of 50 Chinese spies?

[@leftwingersareweak]

​@waxinyomomma1375 quick, without doing a web search, what is the typical approximate weight of a small car? 😊

[@waxinyomomma13]

@@leftwingersareweaklol 2500 lbs?

[@waxinyomomma13]

The first "small car"suggestion was a better suggestion... the "sporks" for play play.

[@ГеоргийСлавин-р8п]

This is horrifying and fascinating at the same time. I believe that in nearest future more powerful military will be not even for the number of drones or other hardware but for more witted algorithms and AI systems on that hardware. And also it will be about clever orchestration of all that stuff.

[@slimerone]

if anything, the Valkyrie looks pretty badass lol

[@Kenneth_James]

Good name too

[@duran9664]

But.. can’t be used on reality in most cases😒..like the Russian hypersonic missiles, expensive more advanced weapons limit targets. u only use them against extremely valuable target or it would be waste of money🤏

[@CasualGuy60]

I wonder when we will see or whether we will even see Marauder drones from the Division 2 game in real life

[@navyseal1689]

​@duran9664 this drone is disposable, send them to Chinese carrier fleet. It will sink all of em

[@JJs_playground]

This is both impressive and horrifying at the same time.

So everything that is autonomous is called AI now. Is my 10-year-old Roomba also AI now?

[@portcybertryx222]

Technically yeah. I mean perception and planning is an integral part of AI which is what the Roomba does so yeah that’s AI.

@@dmeister98Or, AI is a buzzword that is so ambiguous that it effectively means nothing.

[@stephengraham1153]

@ It's just a computer program. Like all programs it can be broken down to millions of individual operations of input, process, output.

[@kevinlow69420]

Yes

[@williamdrijver4141]

Still primitive, but over time it will work. Clear to see the technical evolution. From stealth to drones, to stealthy drones, to AI controlled stealthy drones.

[@DarthVader20201]

And on its wat to Skynet 😅😅😅

[@burtan2000]

Think of how far we've come in 20 yrs. I believe it was the early days of Obama admin when they drones were strictly for surveillance and they had a confirmed sighting or location of Bin ladin, but were unable to take him out bc drones had no weapons and the target went underground before manned craft could get there. So they put weapons systems on them. Now we have drones of every shape, size, and use on the water in the air on the ground. Ukrainians taking out Russians with relatively cheap drones and grenades. Now Hamas is doing that too

[@burtan2000]

@@DarthVader20201We should remain thankful to Cameron for solidifying that concern in our collective consciousness. At EVERY step with AI and drone tech Skynet is mentioned (as it should be) But that was hardly the first rogue AI in fiction that killed people. Still it's the one we all mention. Not the Matrix sentinels or HAL from 2001. Turns out AI poses a very different threat. It's like TicToc - a threat to what's good in our society. Like how AI art is taking over and stealing artists' styles generating loads of mediocre stuff for pennies.

[@ProducerGio]

I want to be part of this. This is freakin awesome!

[@multiverseofmalice7795]

dw, you'll be one of its victims in the upcoming AI uprising

[@Kenneth_James]

Valkyrie- Old Norse meaning: 'chooser of the slain' Perfect name

[@VVayVVard]

A big advantage for using AI for aircraft / ships is that the skies and seas tend to be far simpler, as environments, than land regions tend to be. The AI doesn't have to do nearly as much processing, and it's a lot more likely to make good decisions (especially against air-based/sea-based targets).

[@gtgodbear6320]

You need 2-3 to trail every jet. You can make some very cheap ones to draw missiles away from Jets as decoys. At the last seconds they can do high-g maneuvers that could escape the rockets. Then automatically catch up to the US jet.

[@ThouSirKingsly]

Isn’t it better if we’re just throwing robots at robots? Like, in the future if the human is completely out of the equation, all war would be is throwing metal at metal and seeing which one wins.

[@mmaranta785]

And then recycling of course.

[@mill2712]

​@@mmaranta785 Not entirely. In order to win you'd still need to target fuel depots, drone manufacturing centers and command staff. While this could reduce the amount of people who perish, people will still die.

[@dinte215]

Lol. No, those drones are going to kill people just like the current ones.

[@shidohihiho]

I guess Army of Drone program from Ukraine side in the war has made a significant impact on the US military. It shows how the future WILL be shaped!

[@hcf1956]

Given the nature and mission requirements and capabilities no one drone (AI/or not), as well as keeping the cost low, there must be a "family" of drones for dedicated roles in the future fighter strike group. There will be "loyal wingman" to provide traditional "wingman" roles to protect the designated leaders of airstrike groups. As well as drones for ELINT warfare. As well as drones dedicated for attack rolls. The "loyal wingman" will require attributes of a modern stealth fighters to escort the manned fighters into any future battles.

[@Erik-rp1hi]

MCAS Miramar is where that hangar is. I was at that airshow and saw this display.

[@jzisers]

Better armed, better tech, better range, cheaper than the Reaper drone

[@stevenkidd6761]

So it weighs between 20 to 30 washing machines?

[@JT-hx8xr]

What does that equal in microwaves?

[@stevenkidd6761]

@@JT-hx8xr industrial or dorm sized? 97.8 (+/- 2.7 ) for regular home microwaves...

[@jloiben12]

It should get some… live action tests in Ukraine. Send them 50 of those a year. It is not expensive for its capabilities and will help from a program-perspective

[@adamsojka3345]

I bet the thought has occured to them, the reason for many arms companies not doing so is a mystery to me.

[@Skymenace]

First of all it's not ready to be deployed yet. But the answer is obvious to your question. The Russians will do everything to strike one down and recover its pieces and eventually, they will manage to do so, then you have lost years of technological development. Billions of dollars spent on technological advantage will be gone in a matter of months if not days...

[@dwapo]

Please, could you provide weight measurements on a full-size fridge scale next time as I'm unfamiliar with grand piano metrics.

[@novavortex7763]

Love the design its so sleek!

[@florenceemathrix]

First, I want to commend The Wall Street Journal for producing such an insightful video on the Valkyrie drone. This content highlights a crucial and rapidly evolving area of military technology that is increasingly relevant in today’s geopolitical landscape. The Valkyrie drone exemplifies the growing integration of artificial intelligence into military applications, a trend that aligns with my own views on the future of warfare. This development signifies a major shift in how military operations are conducted, with AI-driven systems playing an ever more significant role. However, this advancement also underscores a critical concern: the potential for an AI arms race. As the video points out, the U.S. is expanding its drone arsenal to keep pace with countries like China, which has been significantly bolstering its military capabilities. This reciprocal escalation could lead to a scenario where AI technologies are pitted against each other in warfare, which might result in unpredictable and possibly catastrophic outcomes. The autonomous nature of these AI systems raises serious ethical and safety issues. Decisions made by AI, especially in life-and-death situations, pose profound questions about accountability and control. While AI can enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness, there is a significant risk if these systems malfunction or are misused. It is imperative that we approach the deployment of AI in military contexts with extreme caution. International regulations and collaborative frameworks are needed to ensure these technologies are used responsibly and ethically. Fostering dialogue among nations to establish norms and agreements is crucial to preventing an uncontrollable arms race and ensuring global security. In summary, while the Valkyrie drone represents a leap forward in military technology, it also brings to light the urgent need for thoughtful regulation and international cooperation to mitigate the risks associated with AI in warfare.

[@ebadd3468]

Aaaahhh! The US military industrial complex, I smell victory!

[@alexomar9168]

For the cost of one F35 you can have 15 of these valkyries. In a straight up dogfight the F35 could probably win a 15 vs 1 but the valks are replaceable and the F35 is not.

[@yarmgl1613]

these drones are bombers/strike aircraft, not fighters

[@alexomar9168]

@@yarmgl1613 ahh okay I may have misunderstood. I assume the point stands, that an unmanned fighter would be similarly cheap, but yeah I don't actually know.

[@Kangroo11]

skynet be like , its about time

[@pauldannelachica2388]

Very cool they should add a modular infrastructure

[@thisiskaos9249]

Our values! The US has values! Wow!

[@Chink9198]

hmmm. Only thing it lacks is Skynet. We're getting there.

[@Shadinsb]

"Let's do that!!" - DoD after watching The Terminator

[@osamaalali2547]

As a middle eastern, I can’t wait to be bummed by one of those. 😂 Forget about human error, now we have to worry about Ai errors as well 😂

[@junbug4997]

Then start acting like a human being and stop terror attacks.

[@larryfloyd5111]

"...we chose to act in a way that conforms with our values..."

[@David-wc5zl]

WSJ: why so much debt? Also WSJ: We Love Defense Spending!

[@DailyProg]

I was just watching Terminator Zero. Glad to see it is already in the pipeline

[@Broken_dish]

its kinda funny how they mentioned the price oh its alot cheaper than a manned jet...i can guarantee they are still ripping off the gov its so overpriced im sure compared to if the french or gb or ukraine made the same thing

[@CalvinK-the_old_fogey]

And using China as bogeyman to squeeze every last drop of funding. Previously it was Russia or USSR. I bet it’s going to be India or Brazil in the future. 😂

[@prabinhudeomaharjan]

Please no AI in WMD 😢😢😢😢

[@tfkia356]

1. A drone is not a WMD 2. When they say AI, they're talking about a glorified flowchart

[@wildweasel3001]

MORE drones!!! 🎉

[@rv1251]

Seeing this bird you understand that vlad has no chances at all i mean zero😂

[@markalbert9390]

Does a 3,000 mile range mean out and back, or, because it’s a drone, does that mean just “out”. 3,000 both ways is giant…even in the Pacific.

[@flyingyakdeath]

Range is range. Standard aviation term for 100 years.

[@jonathanpfeffer3716]

Just out. Combat radius is both ways.

[@LeonAust]

Some drones are not designed to return and others are designed to return, therefore it depends on the drone.

[@MrMannyhw]

Here comes skynet :D

[@vectorfox4782]

It would be much more financially feasible to mass produce these instead of an expensive aircraft like the F-35.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Within the first fraction of a second when I seen that on the launchpad. I thought World War II Germany, the V2 rocket.

[@ristube3319]

These should really be equipped with that new military laser.

[@joedatius]

not really possible at this point. the best military grade lasers we have are rather large and require a massive amount of power to be used for any considerable length of time. They also need to be incredibly precise to be effective which is rather difficult when flying at high speeds

[@28ebdh3udnav]

Iran is doing similar with their drones. Iran is making drones that can carry a bomb, some that have air to air heat seeking missiles and some that are decoys. This isnt a new concept. The difference between iran and the U.S. is that the U.S. is very high tech and with possible AI while Iran's is mostly off the shelf components made from wood and fiberglass.

[@HyzersGR]

These are stealth and autonomous. Different class of weapons.

[@28ebdh3udnav]

@@HyzersGR same concept in swarming an area with drones to take other drones and also attack with drones while saving the pilot. Very similar concept, different approach

[@28ebdh3udnav]

​@@HyzersGRIran has thousands of drones they could fly at a moments notice

[@castle4328]

How does it land?

[@Ludens93]

If only the US military spent as much R&D in deescalation tech like forcefields as they do this tech that's violent. Something like a forcefield as a defensive strategy would render all forms of way meaningless, but these weapons just keep that spiral of war going without end.

[@epicsnake21]

Oh Look, A Civilian Airliner

[@monkeeseemonkeedoo3745]

Most mentally stable drone

[@MrZgui415]

Gotta prep for Drone wars 😮

[@hder8740]

The thunderbird five model springs to mind. Didn’t see any nylon threads throw.

[@stephengraham1153]

Hmmm... Thunderbird five was the orbital space station. I think you are confusing it with thunderbird 2.

[@Kenny-z4z7o]

Modern manned aircraft should be designed only to be super stealthy and fast and have enough computing power to control and be the satalight datalink to pass info and control AI autonomous aircraft, so all manned aircraft should forget about having the need to be manoeuverable as it’s no longer needed in the modern battle space, plus new missiles should be the only thing that needs to be able and designed to out manoeuvre enemy aircraft and kill them at extreme distances

[@fuzfire]

After what Elon Musk did to Ukraine in shutting down his starlink satellites I'd be very careful about giving him access to any military capabilities for The US. Yes I know he has done a lot of good things but this behavior is very concerning at least to me as he may pivot on a whim and cause grave harm to an operation if he doesn't like what's going down. JMHO!

[@Dan-lg2by]

That's exactly what the air force NGAD and navy F/A/XX 6th gen fighter programs are making

[@duran9664]

⚠️But.. can’t be used in reality in most cases as it always needs valuable targets😒 US military main goal seems to enrich their contractors first instead of practical & logical solutions.

[@Esquera123]

Best equipment ever. Go go USA❤

[@harrymu148]

Keep in mind that a lot of this is also because we don't have the recruitment to fill those seats. If you have more pilots, you'll statistically have more aces, and more aces means lesser reliance on technology. it might be a little bit anachronistic but it's all about what you use to fill the meter called "combat effectiveness"

[@jonathanpfeffer3716]

Not really true. All these platforms come with significant personnel requirements due to maintenance. Any single aircraft only needs one pilot, but will need many more maintainers. Cutting out the pilot makes a pretty small difference in personnel requirements. The real value with these platforms is their attritable nature.

[@rekria7037]

Skynet has entered the building.

[@overcorpse]

What could possibly go wrong?

[@GLOBALPOLICYINSIGHTS]

What are the safety procedures when it comes to ensuring authorisation by humans?

[@GrimJerr]

The 🤨pentagon has been watching my Kerbal builds 😆😆😆

[@trevorsutherland5263]

Russian Sukhoi-70 Okhotnik stealth drone has 6000 mile range and 4500 lb. capacity, and prototypes already spotted over Ukraine. Outperforms Valkyrie at half the cost.....which we now see is typical of all Russian weapons vs. their Western equivalent

[@stephengraham1153]

With one big difference. Western equivalents tend to be more reliable.

[@Av-vd3wk]

Pffft only 1800 pounds of bombs? Not even a single 2,000 lb bomb?

[@robertcalamusso1603]

Peace through Strength 🦬🌀🇺🇸

[@Ray-md9nr]

Interesting that you would use pianos as a unit of measurement. You could use Metric, you know, DARPA, NASA, and other organizations alike use it.

[@thafunktapus]

they could use imperial as well. everybody knows what a ton is

[@stephengraham1153]

@@thafunktapus Except that a metric ton is 1,000kg (2,204.6 pounds), The short ton used in the US is 2,000 pounds and the imperial ton is 2,240 pounds. Which one is it that you think that everybody knows?

[@vitaliyvyntu4566]

Thank you

[@freddobbs4437]

Didn't the Luftwaffa have thise back in WWII known as V1 and later V2's?

[@MrDomiko]

How many times "AI" or "Artificial Intelligence" has been mentioned ?

[@honfmeilingfleet957]

that is the Drone in Modern Warships

[@mariacheebandidos7183]

0:28 do people really need to talk up or overhype the capabilities of potential adversaries to justify the US making advancement in these fields?

[@XA1985]

When we develop the first AI fighter jet is all over 😂

[@fintech1378]

Looks like Terminator

[@JosephMcdonald-xz5js]

Reapers and valks stacked over f 35 super tech... We're decent.

[@mattstirling7494]

30 ft long? I'm sorry, I need clarification. How long is that in grand pianos?

[@SamSnid3r]

The US military needs to decide to have recruited people that just fly drones

[@kirstyblack3432]

so it's another rebranded/renamed version of the "Loyal Wingman/Ghostbat"

[@indominusbytecomputadoras2470]

Someone has to pay rights to gerry anderson. For a moment i thought that it was the Thunderbird 2.

[@Damyankee1989]

The stealth movie coming true.😬😬😬

[@ardafrlar4130]

Better one, Kızılelma. Cheaper, faster, has AESA radar and landing gears

[@interloper-0186]

Ace combat arsenal bird looking like its becoming reality

[@DadPool85]

Real life Terminator 🤖

[@azjeep26]

When major war breaks out these high tech weapons take to long to build.... We will need quick fast manufacturing weapons.....

[@maxb7975]

will an AI drone be better at telling a wedding party from a bunch terrorists?

[@dexterplameras3249]

It will one day, mind you pilots have made really bad mistakes like a tank killing a camera crew because they thought a shoulder fired missile was pointing at them, mistaking a journalistic photographers camera as a gun, killing a farm worker on a tracker with his son after they dumped farm equipment on the ground thinking they were guns. The later two were using FLIR and there is no way to get 100% certainty with the current sensors and a human operator determining if its a weapon or a farming implement.

[@christophermontoya5526]

And will it be better at it than humans? We've all heard of friendly fire and noncombatants being accidentally hit in the past.

[@dexterplameras3249]

@@christophermontoya5526 I suspect they will use it for pre programmed targets and known vehicle types before they start using it on human targets.

[@khanhhien06]

If you have a wedding in Iraq, consider yourself burnt.

[@christophermontoya5526]

@@dexterplameras3249 We shall see.

[@EricLian]

When the video first started, I thought I was watching Thunderbird 2. 😆

[@JoeHADDAD-g1h]

Who manufactures this uav

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

I saw the film The machine didnt listen to the pilot on ground and attequed him

[@FransiscoArmendariz-zj8vu]

Gradius

[@kamikazekunze]

Yeah, Sky Net is safe….😮😮😮

[@kinngrimm]

5:30 Always the same reasoning the others are not likely to participate in bans, so why should we ^^. Well sofar i haven't seen the US really try to establish such an understanding between China and itself. The reason for that ofcause was named earlier, that due to manpower and economic capabilities, longterm the US is outmatched and to keep up, it would send unmanned drones to tip the balance in their favour. The issue with all this and AIs, is the constant need for dominance which will be reflected in AIs for military use, which is also more generally speaking in the competition between companies and therefor there also will be not to be seen any slowing down. I am not sure if this is part of the human condition or if we somehow can't recognize deathspirals anymore, but i doubt this will end well if we create more and more autonomous machines only to at some point having an A(G)I breaching seecurity meassures and wrecking havoc. I mean who thought hooking GPT X up to the internet would be a good idear ^^. They may not yet be an existential threat, but the time they become one, how would you even know in time so you could pull the plug?

[@Vidz0022]

Such a sexy lookin aircraft

[@virgilioimperial5468]

They always show the prototype and actual stealth plane how to launch the aircraft, but how to land and recover is still mystery to all viewers.

[@everypitchcounts4875]

You should see it takeoff and land on a aircraft carrier.

[@virgilioimperial5468]

@@everypitchcounts4875 Valkyrie UAV or unmanned Aircraft has no tail hook or wheels just like a conventional aircraft as you seen on KZbin or movies or magazines or books. Valkyrie is different kind of aircraft as it launches on a rail boosted by rocket booster. What you see on Aircraft carrier is not Valkyrie it was X-47B prototype.

[@darrendent8288]

Ok ok, has anyone seen the movie “Stealth”? Ya this is it in a nutshell.

[@SamSnid3r]

The military needs to add drones that could be manned by ten year olds

[@rickmitchell7835]

Make sure it can talk to other systems and can't be hacked.

[@thangnghiem8073]

why this feel like we are about to be in next terminator movie?

[@JoseLopez-xu8ue]

Change parts to this drone equipment operations in which deception drones next time you think this time me

[@SolaceEasy]

Never showed the thing landing.

[@abbymerchant2069]

people throw the word AI around way too much, Shield AI wish they have actual AI, it's just an autonomy stack for flight control and targeting system.

[@31711ying]

terminators gonna kill us all

[@AlexMadhi]

turks : hold my beer

[@amorosogombe9650]

Getting everything in place for the AGI entity to take over the world.😂

[@hrhamada1982]

Kratos is a publicly traded company on NASDAQ

[@MrRoque-pg3yr]

What happens when they get hacked

[@joedatius]

how would you hack it?

[@Dimaz42]

I wonder if they could use this kind of drone to deploy a swarm of AI-powered smaller drones behind enemy lines, probably equipped with explosives and/or recon equipment? 🤔

[@anteeko]

interesting but it will likely fly too fast to drop small drones I think

[@Dimaz42]

@@anteeko yea, that's true.. probably slowing down a bit before deploying 😆 also I didn't know that this drone uses parachute to land 😅

[@everypitchcounts4875]

That's why US has the general dynamics X-62 Vista a fleet of AI piloted F-16s, LOCUST drone swarm system, replicator program, Gambit drone series, CRANE program, Longshot air launched UCAV. US military has over 80 drone programs at the moment.

[@jonathanpfeffer3716]

That’s sort of already a thing, although with modern weapons the line between missile and drone starts to get very blurry.