Defense company Saab, in collaboration with Helsing, has successfully completed the first three flights with Helsing's AI agent Centaur in the Gripen E fighter aircraft.

The flights are part of Saab's Project Beyond. They represent a major step forward in the introduction of artificial intelligence in combat aircraft and demonstrate how Gripen E is unique in enabling software updates at a very high rate without compromising safety requirements, Saab said in a press release.

During the flights, Gripen E successfully handed over control of the aircraft to Centaur, which autonomously performed complex maneuvers in a BVR combat environment* and gave the pilot instructions to fire.

The project is fully funded by the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration and is part of the concept studies for Sweden's future combat aircraft capability (KFS).

*BVR combat environment: Beyond Visual Range, an environment where air combat takes place at longer distances, where the parties are not close to each other or cannot see each other visually.