FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Institute’s technical leaders gathered at The MITRE Corporation outside Washington, DC, for our third annual CTO Summit on 9-10 September, and the conversation turned quickly to the promise and peril of artificial intelligence (AI) as it hurtles forward in aerospace engineering. The Summit saw a 30% increase in attendance as we heard from Department of War, Congressional staff, and think tank leaders about the need to accelerate the production of aerospace systems to serve growing demand across commercial, civil, and national security verticals.
Tag: AI
Framing AI in Aerospace at AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Gregory Roth, incoming chair of AIAA’s new Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Aerospace Applications Working Group and aerospace engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Platform Concepts Branch in Ohio, was pleasantly reassured with the approach to AI at AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026. The discussion around AI in Aerospace is now clearly in full swing.
AI, Assurance, and the Future of Aviation Operations
FROM THE INSTITUTE
At AIAA AVIATION Forum, aviation leaders zeroed in on a practical question: how to introduce advanced analytics, automation, and autonomy into live operations, including airlines, new entrants, and future airspace, without breaking the complex system that already moves hundreds of thousands of people every day.
As Aerospace Prioritizes AI, Aviation Experts Ask, “What Problems Are We Trying to Solve?”
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The first Forum 360 panel at AIAA AVIATION Forum asked a simple question when it comes to AI’s growing role in aerospace: What problems are we trying to solve? That conversation featured several answers from experts representing major aerospace OEMs, defense primes, and the U.S. Air Force’s main research lab that set the tone for the rest of the week’s programming.
Performance, Productivity, and the Potential Cost of Artificial Intelligence
FROM THE INSTITUTE
As a member of the AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026 Guiding Coalition, it was clear to Tracy Elving that a nuanced discussion about artificial intelligence had to kick off the forum. When asked about the core value of AI, some on the Guiding Coalition felt that it could provide solutions to ambitious technical challenges, while others argued it could enable engineers to do higher order tasks. A lack of consensus created a provocative opportunity.
Human Judgment in the Age of Autonomous Warfare: Why Congress Must Keep Human Oversight in Military Decisions
FROM THE INSTITUTE
As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of modern warfare, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a game changer. From analyzing intelligence and refining targeting processes to streamlining logistics and enhancing capabilities in autonomous platforms across various domains such as air, land, sea, and even space, AI is reshaping how we think about conflict. The potential advantages are significant: quicker decision-making, better situational awareness, and the ability to operate effectively even in chaotic environments.
Northrop’s Talon IQ Flies First Mission With Shield AI’s Hivemind Autonomy
The Defense Post reports, “Northrop Grumman’s Talon IQ modular testbed, equipped with Shield AI’s Hivemind as its digital brain, has completed its first partner mission autonomy flight in Mojave, California. Following its single‑day hardware‑in‑the‑loop test, Hivemind successfully directed Talon IQ to execute combat air patrol and target engagement in the flight before the aircraft swapped back to Northrop’s Prism autonomy software.”
Full Story (The Defense Post)
Air Force Demonstrates Missile Evasion Using Onboard Tactical AI
Defense One reports, “Air Force test pilots used artificial intelligence aboard an experimental fighter jet to successfully evade a simulated incoming missile, showcasing how the service’s aviators may rely on AI in a future fight. Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works research arm acknowledged the experiment Monday.”
Full Story (Defense One)
Orbiting Satellite Reorients Itself Using AI-Powered Controller
SPACE reports an AI-powered controller on an orbiting satellite executed real-world attitude adjustments in space, “for the first time,” showing that AI can fly satellites autonomously.
Full Story (SPACE)
AI Shifts the Paradigm of Aerospace Structural Modeling
From the Institute
Artificial intelligence (AI) can and should be a practical partner in changing the way aerospace structural modeling is accomplished, remarked Wenbin Yu. While physics-based models remain essential, AI can accelerate computation, fill knowledge gaps, integrate workflows, and make advanced simulation tools accessible to more engineers, he added, describing this new paradigm in detail during an AIAA JournalKeynote Seminar Series webinar.