French Air Force plans loyal wingman flight in 2028 in sovereign AI push

PARIS — France’s Air Force, together with the country’s Directorate General for Armament and the agency for defense artificial intelligence, plans to fly crewed fighter jets in collaboration with combat drones in 2028, part of a project to experiment with AI in combat aviation dubbed Hypairion. The project seeks to develop open, modular architecture for combat aircraft and sovereign AI technology that gives the government greater control over the tech, rather than having to rely on companies for critical systems, said Col. Cédric, head of the Air Force capability-development office, in a…