BAE Systems Tests AI Aid for Typhoon Pilots with Avioniq
BAE Systems has teamed up with Swedish company Avioniq to trial an AI-based decision-making aid on the Eurofighter Typhoon. The aim is to improve pilot situational awareness during combat missions.
These tests are taking place on Typhoon simulators at BAE Systems’ facility in Warton, Lancashire. The trials involve Avioniq’s Rattlesnaq technology, which uses advanced missile modelling and verifiable AI. This ensures pilots receive reliable, independently checked data during complex missions.
How the AI System Helps Pilots
The system calculates all potential missiles and weapons an enemy could use. It then tracks these threats and creates clear boundaries in the airspace. This helps pilots understand how far they can fly in each direction while avoiding enemy missiles.
Mikael Grev, Avioniq’s co-founder and a former Swedish Air Force pilot, explained the system’s benefits. He said it allows pilots to see safe flight zones in real time. This information helps them to avoid missile ranges while improving their manoeuvres and targeting.
With verifiable AI, every recommendation from the system can be checked using simulations. Grev added that if the AI says a pilot can fly two kilometres safely, teams can verify this with a simulation. This process removes guesswork from critical combat decisions.
Supporting Typhoon Pilot Training
The technology is now being integrated into Typhoon simulators to support pilot training. It aims to improve tactics for beyond-visual-range combat, where pilots must act quickly under threat.
Paul Smith, BAE Systems’ Head of Typhoon Strategy and a former Royal Air Force pilot, highlighted how the system enhances pilot decision-making. He noted that the system fuses missile threat data with guidance information. This allows pilots to make faster, safer decisions while maintaining the ability to strike when needed.
According to Smith, pilots flying over hostile and congested environments can be safer and more effective using this technology.
A Step Towards Advanced Typhoon Capabilities
The simulator trials align with wider efforts to improve Typhoon capabilities. These include faster mission computers and new cockpit displays for better threat visualisation.
Avioniq, founded in 2015, develops military aviation software using the expertise of former fighter pilots. Grev mentioned that the system is already operational on some aircraft, though not yet on fighter jets.
In the military, this readiness level is known as TRL nine, meaning it already operates in aircraft. Grev explained that while it is not yet in fighters, integrating it into the Typhoon is the next step in its deployment.
with inputs from Reuters
