Airbus launches ethics panel for FCAS/SCAF technologies

Airbus has brought together a panel of experts to explore the ethical dimensions of new technologies to be developed for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Système de Combat Aérien Futur (SCAF) it is developing alongside Dassault and Indra.

Publicly launched on 14 May in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute, the commission of industry, political, military, scientific, religious, and subject matter experts first met in September 2019 and will be in place for the duration of the FCAS/SCAF programme.

“For the very first time in history we have a defence programme in FCAS that will be stood-up with an ethical dimension [at its heart],” physicist, information scientist, and panel member Professor Wolfgang Koch said.

With a new website launched at www.fcas-forum.eu, the panel of 17 experts will look at some of the vital issues surrounding the future use of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, and neural networks in particular with the FCAS/SCAF domain that will comprise the New Generation Fighter (NGF), Remote Carrier (RC), Air Combat Cloud (ACC), European Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), ultra-low observable (LO) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), and future cruise missiles.