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maturemenoftvandfilms · 10 months

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The Senator from Montana

CHAPTER TWELVE: Stuck in the Snow

Featuring Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)

Flying out Sen. Tester’s home in Montana, I remember the 8 months ago vividly and fondly: Sen. Tester working on his old Ford tractor, him letting me suck his cock followed by fucking in the loft of the original red barn on the Tester farm. Afterwards, we spent the next couple of hours rallying around the farm with his wife and grandkids, working on weekend projects that needed to be taken care of.

Now as I made my way through sloping sandstone canyons and out onto a vast expanse of flat, treeless farmland. I turned down the long, snow and mud covered path that leads to Tester's 1,800-acre farm and proceeded to get stuck in the muck. After calling Jon and letting him know of my predicament, he and his red Case tractor are now trying to pull me out. I just stood there admiring big Jon. He had on dark glasses a brown bomber jacket. Under this he was wearing a plaid shirt, cargo pants and snow boots. I watched as he loops a set of chains around my Ford Fusion's rear wheels before telling me to put it in neutral and straighten out. He climbs into the cab, reverses the rig, and drags me backward out of the mud.

Minutes later, Jon was bending down to remove the chains, but he can't quite get them loose. First he's hunched over, tugging. Then he's on his knees, giving me a glimpse of his backside.

"Damn things." He says, finally lowering himself onto his ample belly and squints into the chassis.

All this time, I was daydreaming over my senator from Montana. Not wanting to interrupt him as my cock started getting hard.

"Got 'em." He says as he frees the stubborn links and stood back up without even bothering to brush the mud from his chest. Then he caught a glimpse of me and turned around, noticing my erection through my pants and asked, "Now what are we going to do about that?"

I playful shrugged my shoulders as he dropped the chain and walked over to me. And without saying anything, Jon got down on his knees and grabbed the waistband of my jeans before undoing them. Seconds later, he had exposed me to the elements as I stood there frozen. Then my cock, freezing from it's time in the cold all day, was engulfed in the steaming heat of his mouth.

"OH MY GOD!" I groaned, falling back against the car while he inhaled my erection as he started to blow me.

His hands grabbed my legs and made their way to my buttocks, grabbing a cheek in each hand as his mouth slid up and down my cock. Each time he sucked me in, his nose pressed into my pubic hair and I felt it's cold tip on the skin beneath.

Just fifteen minutes ago I hadn't been stuck in the mud and now my boss held all my cock in his hands and mouth. His tongue slipped all over me as he pressed me repeatedly down his throat. He didn't slurp or make a production out of the act, and the only sounds he made were the squishing sounds my cock made as is came out of his throat coated in saliva.

Looking down and seeing that flat top bobbing down in front of me was erotic enough, but feeling Jon suck my cock while twisting my sac made me realize that I wouldn't last long. I squirmed to let him know I was about to cum and he just shoved his head down farther on me as I began to erupt down his throat. He sucked every drop out of me as I had trouble standing straight while my muscles spasmed out of control and the whole time he never let me out of his mouth.

After Jon had drained me, my groin was warm, but the rest of me was still cold as he released my cock from between his lips and got up in front of me. He looked into my eyes and put his hands on my shoulders before kissing me. Gently, he pushed me down to my knees before unzipping his jeans, exposing his manhood to me. I reached out and took hold of his beautiful dick, fondling it before I closed my lips around his pale cut dick.

"Fuck! I love the way you suck my cock." The old man exclaimed as I deep throated his thick warm dick.

My face was warming up from the heat from his excited groin in my mouth and his hands stroking my head as I bobbed on his cock. His hips begun a rhythm of their own as he now started to augment my bobbing with his pumping. Jon fucked my mouth faster and faster. And just when I thought he was about cum down my throat, he suddenly pulls his dick out of my mouth.

"Get up." The senator said, stroking his fat cock rapidly, "Bend over the hood of the car. I want to fuck you."

I quickly stood up, jerked my pants and shorts down, exposing my ass to the cold Montana air. Wanting his cock inside of me, I paused long enough to spit in my and lube myself up before leaning over and grabbing the hood, jetting my butt in his direction. Moments later, I felt his saliva cover dick head pressing against my asshole before he rammed his dick into me, saying, "Take my fucking cock!"

I stiffened up from the searing pain of his entry, clamping down on his cock as he pulled his dick half way out of me and slammed it back inside my asshole. I bit hard on my lip and stifled a pleasurable scream into my chest as his shaft filled my ass and stretched my sphincter.

“Oh fuck son! I can tell you want this bad.” Jon moans as he starts fucking me hard and fast with deep heavy thrusts of his cock. His big shaft of flesh drilled into me like he was trying for oil.

Jon knew how to use his big cock to give me the ride of my life. He seemed completely at ease for 10 minutes until he began to really fuck my ass. He wanted to cum and I was the one who was going to give it to him. I moaned, groaned and enjoyed every minute of his pounding as my now hard cock flapped around, slapping the car beneath me with every thrust.

“Fuck me Jon.. Fuck me!” I cried out in delight as he fucks me harder and harder, faster and faster.

“Oh yes... Who’s my special boy!” Jon said panting heavily.

The old farmer suddenly leaned back a bit and the big mushroom of his cock began to pop my prostrate with every stroke. Soon, I felt a familiar sensation in my balls, which were getting stimulated and pounded by his ever-thrusting cock. Just then, I dumped my second of the day on to the bumper of my car. I felt like I had cum all the sperm from both of my testicles. The contraction of my ass on Jon's pistoning dick while I went through my orgasm brought on the senator's own climax. I could feel his cock stiffen before he said, “Fuck! I'm going to…..”

Before being able to finish the sentence, Jon was was yelling as wave upon wave of hot cum spewed deep into my guts. When I felt the last drop of cum leave from Jon's cock, he leant over and put his arms around me and kissed the back of my neck.

“Damn... I needed that. Thank you Derek.” He whispered into his ear.

“And thank you Jon that was great!” I replied in a shallow whisper.

If you get stuck in the snow in Montana, it’s good to have Senator Tester around to pull your ass out with his tractor.

#The Senator from Montana #stuck in the snow #tester fan fiction #Jon Tester #us senator #american politician #politician #fan fiction

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spacefinch · 1 year

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A little late to the whole 'send asks about marine life' post so you can ignore this if you want, but tell me about the deep sea life, the fishies and general life in the midnight zone. it's just very interesting to me how very little is known about it since it's so deep and dark there. Thank you :]]

Sure! There are TONS of interesting deep sea creatures!

Technically, the midnight zone goes from 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the surface, but the abyssal and hadal zones are sometimes lumped in with the midnight zone. All are home to weird looking creatures.

Anglerfish— one of the best known deep sea creatures. They use their glowing lures to catch smaller fish and other animals to eat. Female anglerfish are much bigger than the males.

Bomber worms! They are tiny creatures that look more like centipedes than worms! Each bomber worm has eight sacs of bioluminescent fluid on its body. When threatened, it releases one of these “bombs” to distract the predator.

Giant siphonophores! These are my favorite deep sea creatures! They’re a type of hydrozoan, or an organism made of lots of smaller creatures called zooids. These zooids can’t survive without one another.

Remipedes. Unlike the bomber worms, these critters actually ARE related to centipedes. (Since they’re both arthropods.) Their name comes from the Latin word for “oar-footed,” after the way they use their many legs to paddle through the water.

Tripod fish! They have long spines on their two pectoral fins and one tail fin that let them “walk” along the seabed. This allows them to save energy while they wait for food to come to them.

Gulper eels, also called pelican eels. They have huge jaws, and they will eat anything that fits in those jaws!

Here’s a picture of a bomber worm!

#marine biology #remipede #Remipedes #gulper eel #anglerfish #giant siphonophore #siphonophore #tripod fish #midnight zone #deep sea #there are many benefits to being a marine biologist #asked and answered

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itsuki-minamy · 1 year

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"SIDE GOLD"

PROLOGUE A: FLYING GHOST SHIP

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

May 1945.

A corner of the Atlantic Ocean where the sky and the sea occupy all the view.

From that endless blue sky, a barrage formation of SBD Dauntless began to descend in several rows. It was a sudden sortie, and it was a rough formation with only 20 bombers, but no problem.

A target, or a single ship.

According to the reconnaissance plane report, the weapons could not be seen.

It was a gigantic rigid airship that moved slowly close to the glistening surface of the sea.

The leader of the formation, who descended a bit ahead of the others, couldn't believe that it was a real existence as he approached in the blink of an eye. The strange way to connect the flat air sacs was like a bivalve with a displaced shell.

(Or the clunky pancakes my daughter made.)

After the Third Reich's surrender of Germany the other day, the formation commander pressed the bombardment button at just the right time, shaking the sight of home from him that had come to mind frequently.

In response, the suspended armor-piercing bombs left the aircraft and fell on the airship.

He could feel that his companions were also throwing bombs one after another behind him as they began to ascend.

After a few seconds, the explosions occurred in rapid succession far below.

The roar was surprisingly far away, the flames blurred by the sunlight, and only black smoke billowed from near the surface of the sea.

The formation leader tilted the aircraft so that the situation could be clearly seen and began to circle around the column of black smoke. That was not for his own viewing. It was for his partner who was looking at the camera in the back seat sitting back to back. The sound of the shutter opening and the film rolling up continued uninterrupted from the beginning.

"What do you think, David? Is the ghost ship a piece of wood?"

"No, Captain. It's still burning, but it will explode soon."

The two experienced pilots recalled once again the mysterious mission entrusted to the United States Atlantic Fleet. All the formations that were flying together must have felt the same way as them.

Mobilize the entire fleet to locate and sink an airship that has been sighted in the Atlantic Ocean for the last month or so.

It wandered around doing nothing, wandering aimlessly, and before long the sailors coming and going called it the "ghost ship".

In that nickname, there was no fear involved.

At the time, it was a common name mixed with a lot of ridiculousness. The level of ridicule among military personnel increased when it was bluntly identified by references to intelligence.

This is because the true identity of the suspected ghost ship (anyone who sees the text can't help but burst out laughing) was the "secret weapon" of the German Third Reich, which surrendered to the Allies last week.

(If I remember correctly, it was an aerial gunship for anti-barrier balloons? That German bastard... How many Messers could be built with the time and materials required to assemble such a large and thin target?)

The formation leader shrugged at the tragic ending.

"Well... why did Fleet HQ order a mission like this to be "recorded in detail"? If they were found during the day, they would know there would be no such thing."

"Yes, Captain. I was also concerned about the phrase "Beware of the silver light". It may have been loaded with a new type of bomb."

Even while he was conversing, his quiet companion kept pressing the shutter while he kept his eyes on the camera.

"A new type of bomb, huh. I heard rumors..."

The leader of the formation finished checking if his companions failed in the bombardment and reduced the number. He couldn't even see the plane that landed in the water around the black smoke. There was no accident report of the following plane. The mission was completed.

Involuntarily, he let out a faint impression.

"Anyway, the rumored ghost ship has finally returned to the bottom of the sea."

"Yes, Captain. It is difficult to understand why the remnants of the German army still roamed the waters so far from the defection route to South America."

"We'll never know, right?"

Behind the mutter, the captain regretted completing the easy mission.

(Thanks to him, I was not sent to the Pacific front and I was able to kill time until the end of the war... but that's all.)

He continued the conversation until the confirmation of the bombardment with the feeling that he was watching the final moments of the benefactor.

"That name... Did you say "Heaven" or something?"

"No, Captain. The meaning is the same, but "Himmelreich"."

"I remember well. Well, in that case, the crew was in hell instead of heaven."

"Ah?!"

The half-stunned banter was interrupted by a startled cry.

The captain, who immediately turned his attention to the control stick, asked sharply.

"What happened?!"

What he was wary of was the attack by German Air Force planes supporting the "ghost ship", but his partner's response was completely different... or rather, it was impossible.

"That's stupid... the target is alive and well! Can't recognize the damage!"

"What?! That's stupid!"

The captain, who shouted the same lines as his partner, saw the same scene as his partner when he dropped his line of sight to the surface of the sea.

From the fading black smoke, a "ghost ship" with the same speed and shape as before the shelling was slowly coming out. The upper deck, which should have been shelled, was completely unscathed, not to mention stained with soot.

Did they all miss the target in the formation barrage?

It looked like a light alloy, but is it heavy armor?

A secret function hidden in a secret weapon?

From the common sense check to the absurd delusions running through his mind, the captain shook his head slightly.

"Impossible."

He immediately changed his mind. As a veteran pilot, he took the following measures against the real "enemy aircraft" that roamed below.

"If the shelling doesn't work... let's put a machine gun on deck and see the reason for its solidity with our own eyes."

However, he was stopped by his partner.

"No, Captain. Wait a minute."

"What's up, David?"

"Should have been in the order. Did you skip the second half again?"

Having regained his composure, he accurately repeated the details.

"If the bombardment fails to hit the intended attack, report to headquarters and await the next order."

"I didn't understand the meaning, so I skipped it."

The captain's defense was justified.

There's no way a single airship couldn't be sunk by a formation bombing attack.

It would be a mistake to assume that the intended attack would not be achieved.

That should be there, but reality kicked in the obvious and was there beyond assumptions.

"This is Emmental 1, Fleet Command, please respond."

With his friend in the background, who began to communicate with the command center with a high-performance communication device that was adapted, the formation leader at least launched a verbal attack on the impossible existence.

"..."Ghost ship", huh?"

The silvery-white aircraft continued to fly over the sea, where the black smoke had already disappeared.

A tall man looked up at the sky from the wheelhouse of the Himmelreich airship.

There was no gleam of joy or longing in his eyes that reflected the dazzling blue. The white silk beauty with long silver hair falling down his back lacked vitality. Only resignation and boredom enveloped him in a stagnant way.

His expression moved slightly.

In front of the frontal airbag that protruded far forward, the barrage formation that was flying in the sky began to move backwards in a somewhat chaotic manner. He could see the frustrated and suspiciously distorted expressions of the pilots.

"Good work."

The man murmured softly and slowly turned on his heel. Only the dull sound of the engine accompanied the steps towards the bench placed in the center of the wheelhouse, which seemed to be an annoying step.

And then a new assistant joined.

"It should work with that, answer me! Hey, let it go!"

It was a communication mixed with a terrible noise. It even picked up the noise of people colliding.

"The presidential decree should have given me priority in the negotiations! Get off!"

He was familiar with his voice, which was the exact opposite of him, full of lust for life and power.

If he remembered correctly, an acquaintance from the Ordnance Bureau... why would he hear that voice over the Pacific Ocean?

As he vaguely guessed the reason, still longing for the broken past, the man next to the couch turned his feet towards the console of the communication device. The noise disappeared when the communication frequency was adjusted.

"Werner, is that you?"

The man named Werner reacted violently to his weak speech.

"Weismann... Adolf K. Weismann!"

The man's mouth, Adolf K. Weismann, slightly dropped as he was struck by his unchanging vigor. He responded with harmless sarcasm.

"Even if you don't yell, the communication is clear. It's been a long time since we parted at Peenemünde."

"Oh, that's right... yes."

Werner's voice, who understood that there was no problem with the conversation, dropped suddenly. Expressing his feelings clearly, he squeezed out a heavy voice.

"It was too bad about your sister."

"......"

"It was a loss to humanity."

It was conveyed that the exaggerated assessment of him was not entirely false, but because of that, a wind of loneliness blew on Weismann's chest. It was true that he was happy with the assessment, but more than that, there was much more that only he and the other person could understand... A lot had been lost along with his sister.

He wanted to scream and complain, but he couldn't scream anymore, and even if he complained, people wouldn't understand.

"Everyone I meet after that... will say that first. Did you really like my sister, or do I look dangerous without my sister?"

"Both."

Werner stated briefly.

"That's why I'm going to mourn my sister first and then I'll invite you."

He began to speak with his characteristic directness.

"I turned myself over to the United States, to continue my research."

"Is it an invitation to do the same?"

Having already roughly grasped the situation, Weismann still confirmed the other party's intentions.

"What does that have to do with the recent rain?"

"I'm sorry."

First of all, Werner apologized. He continued with a bitter voice.

"It wasn't my order; it was the military commander's priority order. I visibly made him see if you were worthy enough to accept the surrender."

"The result was a success."

"Ah, the people here seem to have decided."

He felt an annoyed look around him. After that, his voice became brighter.

"I received only fragmentary information, so I don't know much about it, but... if you provide the "power" you have acquired, the United States will welcome you with perfect preparation for the investigation."

"The ending is unreliable."

At his happy words,

"At least that's what the presidential decree says. I, who just surrendered, cannot judge how seriously the politicians and military personnel of this country take it."

The sarcasm from the surroundings returned.

Recalling the conversation, they once had in the Ordnance Office, Weismann smiled... and soon realized that he had lost the mental strain to do so. The laughter disappeared before turning into an expression.

Only affection led to advice.

"Werner, I cannot offer my "power". There is no such thing."

Exactly, he could do it.

The way is to place the target human under his influence.

However, Weismann secretly refused to teach or practice it. Being locked in that airship was originally such a thing. That conversation could be an act of detachment from himself that it hadn't been long since he locked himself away, and an act of repentance to the world.

Thinking of that, his voice hardened.

"I'm sorry, but… I don't think you have any feelings; I will politely decline the matter of giving up. My request is that you leave me alone. That's all. Tell that to the great people around you."

"Wait, Weismann!"

Perhaps because of the danger of the communication being cut off, Werner held back.

"Do you intend to continue roaming with the airship from now on, a man like you?! It's true that I'm sorry about your sister, but you're still alive."

"Let's dispel the real concerns of great people."

This time, Weismann interrupted his voice and said.

"From now on, I will not side with any country, and I will not give this "power" to anyone."

For a moment, there were various noises on the other side of the communication device.

"Is it believable?"

"We have to secure it now."

"We cannot give that power to the communist camp."

Several tens of seconds after the fragment of suspicion was spilled, Werner sadly said again.

"The people here are afraid of you and the power you hold. That's why I want to know their true identity, and I don't want someone else to steal it."

"......"

Weismann barely swallowed the resentment as he was about to make a sound: "I know, it's deep in my bones.". Unbeknownst to Werner, that fear led to the bombing that tried to end it all, and the kidnapping of the researcher himself.

The human pain, anger, hesitation, and fear that swirled there collapsed in despair.

Now, all that's left in the empty burned fields is a little secret clinging to a good relationship... only expectations.

Instead of cursing, Weismann said it.

As an impulse for a friend he had parted with.

"It won't be stolen, I'm sure."

"What do you mean?"

He didn't give the puzzled Werner a straight answer.

"You'll find out eventually. No, it glows so anyone can see it clearly."

Weismann prophesied as one of the "Kings" who were first seen by the "Slate", the owner of the "power" that was there. He looked at the empty blue sky and longed.

"I'm sure the sword will rise up in the sky with just my thoughts."

He called lightly to the other end of the communication device that had been silent for some time.

"I want the people who are there now to talk to the most important people."

"What?"

Werner and the "people around" realized that it was a message for the president.

Weismann issued a clear and direct warning that benefited them.

"Don't touch the sword."

There was no objection to his comments that sounded like an order.

"That's it. Werner, I pray that your dreams reach the moon."

It was completely natural, as if to lower the curtain at the end of the performance,

"Viel Glück." (Good luck.)

Adolf K. Weismann said goodbye and hung up.

A few days later.

On behalf of the President, the United States declared that the crew of the airship "Himmelreich" would be placed under shelter as refugees. It is not known whether Adolf K. Weismann laughed or was astonished at the blatant one-sided "don't mess with anyone else" threat that had no effect or binding force.

However, the airship continued to wander the Atlantic as a "ghost ship".

Many people, in many positions, lamented his inaction.

However, that idle action was exactly what he wanted.

#k #k project #k side gold #adolf k weismann #silver king

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airmanisr · 1 year

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flickr

May the Fourth be with you by Rob Finch Via Flickr: Sporting a 'SAC' sash, US Air Force Rockwell B-1A Lancer 76-0174 preserved USAFM Dayton Ohio After a protracted development gestation and eventual cancellation by President Carter, testing was allowed to continue and the B-1A was eventually revamped as the B-1B which entered service serving in parallel with the B-52 - augmented by the B-2 'Spirit' stealth Bomber 76-0174 was the fourth and last B-1A built and was used as a test bed for the B-1B programme plane-encyclopedia.com/cold-war/rockwell-b-1a-lancer/ Scanned Kodak 35mm Transparency

#B-1 #aircraft

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firelord-frowny · 6 months

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oh oh here's my fav Childhood Spider Story!

I'm like 8ish i think, which made my brother like 11ish.

for some reason, my brother was looking in the crawlspace in the basement. And he discovered! A black widow! In a magnificent tangle web in the corner closest to the crawlspace entrance. And also several hundred egg sacs. <3

Obviously, he tells our parents! Hey, mom and dad! there's a black widow in the crawlspace!

our parents are like WHAT????

so they skedaddle to home depot for some heavy duty spider killing chemicals and some of those fog bomber misty thingies.

you'd THINK that the rest of this story would go

"and then our dad took the spray and went in the crawlspace and sprayed the spider and set off the fog bomb"

but it doesn't lmfaooooo

THEY SENT ME AND MY BROTHER INTO THE CRAWLSPACE TO SPRAY THE BLACK WIDOW AND SET OFF THE FOG BOMB LMAOOOO CAN YOU BELIEVE IT

I'M LIKE 8 AND MY BROTHER IS LIKE 11 AND OUR PARENTS HANDED US A BUCKET OF TOXIC CHEMICALS AND TOLD US TO GO SPRAY A DANGEROUS SPIDER AND THEN DETONATE A DEADLY CHEMICAL BOMB LMAOOOOO

which like, black widows bites are only fatal on VERY VERY RARE OCCASIONS but if somebody IS gonna die from a black widow bite, its gonna be a tiny child lmaooooo what the hell!!!

#it was a fun time tho #after the spider was dead i collected her body and played with it for a few days before it fell apart omg #and i remember taking pictures of it and then printing them out and writing like #a lil pretend article about it lmaoooo #like it was a page out of one of my lil animal encyclopedias #i have literally always been a fucking nerd ok

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stone-cold-groove · 1 year

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Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.

#b-52 #buff #boeing b-52 stratofortress #boeing b-52 #us air force #bombers #sac #strategic air command #nuclear triad #cruise missiles

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nocternalrandomness · 8 months

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1950 photograph of a Boeing B-47E Stratojet

#Boeing #B-47 #Stratojet #Military #bomber #airplane #Vintage aviation photo #aircraft #plane #USAF #SAC

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usafphantom2 · 2 months

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A Boeing B-52D Stratofortress near Castle AFB 1981. (clipperarctic)

@kadonkey via X

#b 52 stratofortress #usaf #SAC #vietnam war aircraft #cold war aircraft #bomber

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us-air-force-2 · 10 months

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#us air force #us space force #bomber #fighter plane #united states air force #jets #us armed forces #usaaf #us air base #us army air corps #vintage fighter #fighter jet #fighter ace #fighter pilot #basic training #sac #tac #mac

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tastydregs · 1 year

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The US Air Force Is Moving Fast on AI-Piloted Fighter Jets

On the morning of December 1, 2022, a modified F-16 fighter jet codenamed VISTA X-62A took off from Edwards Air Force Base, roughly 60 miles north of Los Angeles. Over the course of a short test flight, the VISTA engaged in advanced fighter maneuver drills, including simulated aerial dogfights, before landing successfully back at base. While this may sound like business as usual for the US’s premier pilot training school—or like scenes lifted straight from Top Gun: Maverick—it was not a fighter pilot at the controls but, for the first time on a tactical aircraft, a sophisticated AI.

Overseen by the US Department of Defense, VISTA X-62A undertook 12 AI-led test flights between December 1 and 16, totaling more than 17 hours of autonomous flight time. The breakthrough comes as part of a drive by the United States Air Force Vanguard to develop unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Initiated in 2019, the Skyborg program will continue testing through 2023, with hopes of developing a working prototype by the end of the year.

The VISTA program is a crucial first step toward these goals, M. Christopher Cotting, director of research at USAF Test Pilot School, explains. “This approach, combined with focused testing on new vehicle systems as they are produced, will rapidly mature autonomy for uncrewed platforms and allow us to deliver tactically relevant capability to our warfighter,” he says.

With Ukraine’s use of semiautonomous drones, the US military’s first autonomous flight of a Black Hawk helicopter last November, and the successful testing of AI algorithms in US U-2 spy planes in 2020, it’s clear that autonomous combat represents the next front in modern warfare. But just how completely will AI take over our skies, and what does it mean for the human pilots left on the ground?

The VISTA X-62A (short for Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft) has always been ahead of its time. Built in the 1980s and based on an F-16D Block 30 Peace Marble Il, the plane previously held the designation NF-16D and became the US Airforce Test Pilot School’s go-to simulation machine in the early 1990s. A versatile and adaptable training tool boasting open systems architecture, the VISTA can be fitted with software that allows it to mimic the performance characteristics of multiple aircraft, from heavy bombers to ultra-light fighter jets.

Prior to last year’s autonomous flight tests, the VISTA received a much-needed update in the form of a “model following algorithm” (MFA) and a “system for autonomous control of the simulation” (SACS) from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. Combined with the VISTA Simulation System from defense and aerospace company Calspan Corporation, these updates facilitated an emphasis on autonomy and AI integration.

Utilizing General Dynamics’s Enterprise-wide Open Systems Architecture (E-OSA) to power the Enterprise Mission Computer version 2 (EMC2, or Einstein Box), the SACS system also integrates advanced sensors, a set of Getac tablet displays in both cockpits, and multilevel security features, all of which enhance VISTA’s capabilities, including its rapid-prototyping advantage, which allows for speedy software updates to meet the accelerating pace of AI development.

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