The US military is testing autonomous technology for F-16 aircraft. (Source: CBS)

The F-16, also known as the Condor, is a fourth-generation fighter jet widely used by the US military and allied countries before the advent of the fifth-generation stealth fighter.

Pilots are equipped with a Joint Helmet Mounted System (JHMCS) to enhance the effectiveness of the AIM-9X heat-seeking missile by allowing it to lock on and attack targets in the pilot's line of sight, instead of having to wait for the aircraft to point its nose towards the enemy.

In addition to modern air-to-air weapons such as the AIM-120C AMRAAM medium-range missile and the AIM-9X short-range missile, the current F-16 fighter can carry many weapons such as the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile and GBU-12 laser-guided bomb.

The F-16 features an advanced glass cockpit with modern electronics and control computers. Mechanical gauges are replaced by multi-function displays, with a large high-definition display located between the pilot's knees.

Not only can artificial intelligence make tasks easier, it also has far-reaching potential in areas within the military.

However, the use of such technology in the military could raise questions around ethics and civilian safety.

Such autonomous systems “are not trying to replace humans,” said an unnamed official at Sikorsky (the military contractor that makes the Blackhawk helicopter). Instead, they can make human jobs safer. He also warned that robot soldiers could turn the tables.

In the future, many military operations will be automated.

The US military is testing a Blackhawk helicopter controlled by a tablet. "We call it autonomous, because the human makes the suggestion, and the computer actually decides how to do it," said a Sikorsky representative.

According to him, human losses can be prevented in situations where soldiers are sent into dangerous battlefields to rescue comrades.

According to CBS News , this represents a “larger effort to change the way war is fought” by DARPA, the US Department of Defense’s innovation lab, which has also developed self-driving off-road vehicles, seagoing vehicles and drones.