Starsage: U.S. Fighter Pilots Test AI “Air Battle Manager” Voice Assistant
August 27th, 2025Via: Fox:
For the first time, U.S. fighter pilots took direction from an AI “air battle manager” in a Pentagon test that could change how wars are fought in the skies.
The Air Force and Navy ran the August test using Raft AI’s Starsage tactical control system on F-16s, F/A-18s and F-35s during a joint military exercise designed to evaluate new weapons systems, advanced communications and battle management platforms, Fox News Digital has learned.
In a typical combat mission, fighter pilots communicate with human air battle managers on the ground. These managers monitor radar, sensor feeds and intelligence to direct pilots on where to fly and how to position their aircraft.
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During the test, fighter pilots checked in with Starsage, confirming they were on track with the mission plan. Starsage cross-referenced their reports with its simulated sensor feed and the day’s Air Tasking Order, then announced that the minimum force package had been met, signaling that the required number of aircraft were airborne and ready. Behind the scenes, the AI prepared to digitally update the mission commander and other command-and-control agencies.
A battle manager monitored each scenario, and pilots were able to direct Starsage to call them as needed for human direction.
Later in the scenario, when pilots requested a threat assessment, Starsage analyzed its feed and issued what’s known as a “picture call” — a snapshot of enemy aircraft formations. In this case, Starsage identified a single heavy group of five adversary aircraft, marking the first time an AI system has provided real-time tactical awareness in the air battle space.
The real-time extra information must be useful. I hope they’ll still leave it up to the pilot to decide what to do about it.
What’s the psychology behind the overly-feminine female voice? I thought military women at work sounded all-business, like the male voice in the beginning, only higher-pitched. This ‘lady’ (I’m guessing AI) adds tones we heard in the “Men, take it off” tv commercial for Schick shavers, but ‘she’ uses them less blatantly. It’s doubtless effective in a sales pitch to businessmen at a trade show, but it must disrupt a warrior’s total focus on combat.
I can imagine the pilots joking that now they have a woman backseat driver.