Chinese military unveils AI system to plan and coordinate mass air strikes

The People's Liberation Army has unveiled an artificial intelligence system capable of planning and coordinating mass air strikes involving over 100 units, according to a state television documentary. The intelligent strike planning system prioritizes targets, organizes attack waves, and assigns specific tasks to units, as reported by CCTV.

This rare insight into the integration of AI into the PLA's operations highlights Beijing's efforts to adopt emerging technologies in warfare, specifically "system-of-systems" warfare. The system, developed by Senior Colonel Deng Jianping, was designed to assist commanders and pilots in managing complex aerial battles. During training exercises featuring numerous targets and formations, traditional calculation methods proved insufficient, according to Deng.

The documentary showcased a systems test where missiles launched from various platforms targeted land and sea objectives shortly after pilots received orders to fire. Deng emphasized that even a minor flaw in logic could determine the outcome of a conflict. President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for the PLA to integrate unmanned intelligent technologies and develop an intelligent military system during a recent Politburo study session.

While the United States is also developing AI support systems for the military, American programs like Project Maven focus more on situational awareness and intelligence analysis than the Chinese AI system, which prioritizes battlefield logic and strike precision.