Aerospace Forcesl
Janet Denzel
Since 1923 the museum has grown from a small engineering study collection to the world's largest military aviation museum and is a world-renowned center for air and space power technology and culture preservation. The museum is home to countless one-of-a-kind objects. Our once small engine collection now includes more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, thousands of artifacts, and spans 20 indoor acres with additional outdoor Air and Memorial Parks that continue to grow every year.
Today, the National Museum of the United States Air Force collects, researches, conserves, interprets and presents the Air Force's history, heritage and traditions, as well as today's mission to fly, fight and win ... air power anytime, anywhere to a global audience through engaging exhibits, educational outreach, special programs, and the stewardship of the national historic collection. With our educational outreach, we motivate, educate, and inspire youth interest in the United States Air Force (USAF) and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The statutory duties delegated by the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) are accomplished on behalf of the American People.
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force always encourages the public to help broaden and enrich the history of the Department of the Air Force through donated items. The generosity of the public provides many of the items used by the museum to create, sustain and continually enhance its many exhibits and study collection. We review every donation offer individually to see if it meets our collection needs and fits our mission to tell the story of the Air Force.
The U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine is an internationally renowned center for aerospace medical learning, consultation, aerospace medical investigations and aircrew health assessments. We promote readiness and protect force and community health by using a range of tools and expertise including environmental and health surveillance, laboratory and risk analysis, process re-engineering, consultation and technological innovation to maximize operational health capabilities and to solve problems through ingenuity and partnerships. We train approximately 6,000 students each year.
William Gray, Chief Test Pilot, Air Force Test Pilot School, and other engineers conduct software updates to the X-62 Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Aug. 3, 2022. (Air Force photo by Giancarlo Casem)
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency were finalists for the 2023 Robert J. Collier Trophy, a formal acknowledgement of recent breakthroughs that have launched the machine-learning era within the aerospace industry.
Dogfighting is a highly complex scenario that the X-62A utilized to successfully prove using non-deterministic artificial intelligence safely is possible within aerospace. The AI dogfights paired the X-62A VISTA against manned F-16 aircraft in the skies above Edwards. Initial flight safety was built up first using defensive maneuvers, before switching to offensive high-aspect nose-to-nose engagements where the dogfighting aircraft got as close as 2,000 feet at 1,200 miles per hour.
The first-ever use of machine-learning-based autonomy in flight-critical systems will serve as a foundation for future aerospace AI advances that are both safer and more reliable in both commercial and defense applications.
The breakthrough in machine learning will continue as teams from both the Test Pilot School and DARPA look to advance lessons learned onto future programs of record. The X-62A VISTA will continue to serve a variety of customers for research, while providing key academic lessons for the next generation of test leaders.
The ACE program is a result of robust collaborations between academia, government, and private industry. Government partners include the Air Force Test Center, Air Force Research Laboratory, DARPA and the Air Force Test Pilot School. Academic partners include Johns Hopkins University and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Industry partners on ACE include Calspan Corporation, Cubic Corporation, EpiSci, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Shield AI.
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