Rise of the Machines: AI Algorithm Beats F-16 Pilot in Dogfight

An artificial intelligence algorithm this month beat a human fighter pilot during a simulated dogfight, DARPA officials revealed. This human-machine showdown comes as the military puts more of its pilots in a digital cockpit, rather than a physical one, for qualifications and training.

During the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-hosted AlphaDogfight challenge last week, Maryland-based Heron Systems came in first place among eight companies who pitted their AI-powered simulated aircraft against one another for two days straight. Then, Heron's system on the third day beat an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot "in five straight simulated dogfights in the man-vs-machine finale," the organization said following the finals.

The companies that took part were Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of Boeing Co.; EpiSys Science; Georgia Tech Research Institute; Heron Systems; Lockheed Martin Corp.; Perspecta Labs; PhysicsAI; and SoarTech. The trial took roughly a year to plan, DARPA officials said.

https://youtu.be/NzdhIA2S35w

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/08/24/f-16-pilot-just-lost-algorithm-dogfight.html

Iran’s Drug Control Chief: US Aircraft Smuggling Narcotics Out of Afghanistan

Eskandar Momeni, director general of Iran Drug Control Headquarters, said Monday that not only has the US war in Afghanistan caused an explosion in poppy cultivation, but also that US military aircraft are smuggling drugs out of the country.

Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported Monday that Momeni blamed the US for the explosion of the Afghan drug trade over the last 20 years.

“In the year 2000, the total production of narcotics in Afghanistan stood at about 200 tons, which rose to over 9,000 tons in 2017, an increase of about 50 times,” Momeni said during a Monday video conference with national anti-drug coordination councils, ISNA reported.

"Based on reliable information, planes operated by NATO and the United States transport these illicit drugs in our neighboring country," he added.

Iran’s PressTV noted that Zamir Kabulov, the Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan, levied a similar accusation last month, saying, “US intelligence officers … are involved in drug trafficking. Their planes from Kandahar, from Bagram [airfield near Kabul] are flying wherever they want to - to Germany, to Romania - without any inspections.”

https://sputniknews.com/asia/202008241080267970-irans-drug-control-chief-us-aircraft-smuggling-narcotics-out-of-afghanistan/

Germany Rolls Out Travel Warning For Paris Vicinity, French Riviera

German health authorities label some areas as "risk", if the potential for a coronavirus infection is increased. In the event that one visits a "risk area" before entering Germany, they will be obligated to self-quarantine.

Berlin has issued a new travel warning for areas in France, including Paris environs and the vicinity of the French Riviera, according to a statement made by the German government’s Robert Koch Institute.

The Ile-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region are now considered "risk areas" by Berlin, indicating that if one has visited such places within 14 days before entering the country, they will have to be tested and then isolate themselves.

The criteria for an area to be listed as "risk" is defined by Germany's Federal Ministry of Health, the Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs. One factor is whether there are over 50 newly-infected people per 100,000 inhabitants over the most recent seven days.

Currently, only the Australian State of Victoria, Varna County of Bulgaria, Romanian Ialomita and Luxembourg are not on Berlin's list of "risk areas".

France has registered over 282,000 coronavirus cases, with more than 30,000 related deaths, hitting a post-lockdown record on Sunday as the country confirmed some 5,000 new cases. In Germany, there are currently over 236,000 coronavirus cases and around 9,200 deaths, according to data assembled and collated by Johns Hopkins University.

https://sputniknews.com/europe/202008251080268384-germany-rolls-out-travel-warning-for-paris-vicinity-french-riviera/