By Robotic Warfare News Desk
France plans to fly crewed fighter jets alongside AI-powered combat drones in 2028 under Hypairion, a project intended to test artificial intelligence in combat aviation. The French Air Force is working with the Directorate General for Armament and the Ministerial Agency for Defence AI, known as Amiad, on the effort, Defense News reported.
Hypairion is intended to give the French government greater control over the architecture and artificial intelligence used by combat aircraft and autonomous platforms. The program is pursuing open and modular systems and aims to move away from proprietary systems that lock down sensors and weaponry.
Col. Cédric, who leads the Air Force capability-development office, said the architecture should allow systems to evolve without compromising flight safety. The intended model separates safety-related functions from mission functions, making it possible to change mission components while preserving the aircraft’s core safety systems.
The project reflects France’s effort to retain control over critical technology as artificial intelligence becomes more prominent in combat aviation. Rather than keeping the overall architecture tied to a fixed set of systems, Hypairion is designed to let the government integrate capabilities from different companies while retaining control of the broader system.
Amiad will provide sovereign AI capabilities for command and control and mission autonomy. In this context, mission autonomy includes assistance with planning, decisions during flight and analysis after a mission. The agency also plans an industrial hub for Hypairion that could bring established aerospace companies and smaller startups into the program.
Companies could join or leave the project while Hypairion retains its capabilities in-house, according to the project’s officials. The approach is intended to let the French state integrate companies and technologies without giving up control of the overall architecture.
The first test aircraft are already being prepared. The Air Force is modifying two Mirage 2000 fighters at Mont-de-Marsan airbase in southwest France, adding a new computer to make them AI test beds. Testing of different use cases is expected to begin by the end of the year, including applications that could optimize flight paths or help with tactical decisions such as when to employ air-to-air or air-to-ground weapons.
Hypairion’s early work will be incremental and will not necessarily produce an operational capability. Initial testing will examine issues including energy consumption and the way systems interface with one another. The planned 2028 flight will be a full-scale trial of collaborative combat drones flying alongside fighter jets.
The unmanned aircraft scheduled for that flight will serve as a test platform and may not become the drone eventually paired with the Rafale fighter. The experimentation is expected to help France select a suitable platform later in the decade.
France is also preparing the Rafale F5 standard, with the Directorate General for Armament targeting a first version in 2033. Collaborative platforms will be developed with the current F4 standard before then, according to the directorate’s Rafale program official.
The Rafale’s future AI functions are intended to help crews manage the large volume of information involved in combat while keeping weapon-employment decisions with humans. The program official said AI should support operational work, but assessment of the situation and tactical judgment remain human responsibilities because artificial intelligence can make mistakes.
The Rafale F4 standard already provides an initial level of openness through a tablet connected to the mission system. The F5 upgrade is expected to expand the data available to that tablet, provide access to mission-system computing resources and improve connections with communications systems and data links. Those changes are intended to allow autonomous combat platforms to be controlled from the Rafale before the F5 standard is deployed.
Hypairion’s roadmap will cover operating concepts, doctrine, workforce requirements and equipment before the planned 2028 trial. The Air Force is using the program to examine how manned fighters and unmanned systems could function together in future squadrons while retaining human control over the use of weapons.