Orchestrike: AI for missiles
By Jon Lake
MBDA announced that it has made rapid advances to its Orchestrike collaborative weapons artificial intelligence (AI) system over the past 12 months and that the SPEAR (Selective Precision Effects At Range) family of weapons will be the first missiles to feature the AI-enhanced system. But lest anyone is fearing that this is a step towards the kind of nightmare scenario we saw in the Terminator film frachise, this is not Skynet, and the system will keeping a human operator in the loop.
The Orchestrike system will enhance the performance of SPEAR missiles by using AI to drive improved co-ordination, collaboration and co-operation between the missiles and the pilot of a launch aircraft, reacting to threats and helping the pilot to solve tactical problems, increasing both overall mission performance and missile and platform survivability.
SPEAR is a network-enabled cruise missile developed by MBDA to defeat and supress enemy air defences by striking moving targets in all weathers, at stand-off ranges. It has all of the advanced features of a full sized cruise missile, including advanced mission planning and the ability to perform complex missions at long range, but is of small size – with a single F-35B being able to carry eight SPEAR missiles within its weapon bays.
The missiles will only ever operate with operator input, ensuring that their use remains legal and ethical at all times.
First unveiled at Paris Air Show 2023, the Orchestrike AI system has gone from being a pure concept towards a real capability in twelve months. AI algorithms have been refined, missile-to-missile datalinks have been advanced, and both elements have been integrated together and onto the SPEAR weapon.
An Orchestrike digital-twin simulator is being shown on the MBDA stand at the Farnborough International Air Show. This features real missile AI, and hardware including new networked-enabled datalinks, and will allow military users to immerse themselves in a unique simulated raid where the missiles use the Orchestrike AI capability to react collaboratively (and in real time) to a developing and evolving tactical situation.
In the future MBDA expects to integrate Orchestrike to other munitions with network-enabled datalink capabilities.
Eric Beranger, CEO of MBDA, said that: “Being at the forefront of innovation in AI highlights how MBDA has unique technologies and expertise in Europe for delivering the decisive air domain missile capabilities to enable our armed forces to defend our values and freedoms.”
