During a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Lieutenant General Christopher Niemi of the US Air Force warned that autonomous fighter jets powered by artificial intelligence could eventually outperform human pilots. Niemi, who is poised to become the first Chief Modernization Officer of the Air Force, emphasized the urgency for the US to adapt to the rapidly evolving nature of warfare, which increasingly involves drones and AI systems. He introduced the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which aims to develop semi-autonomous drones to work alongside manned fighter jets like the F-22 Raptor. These drones will initially operate under human supervision and gradually take on more independent roles for missions including surveillance and electronic warfare. The discussion also highlighted concerns about the US military's reliance on costly fighter jets compared to adversaries investing in low-cost drone swarms. Niemi acknowledged that future conflicts will require a balance of advanced fighter platforms and scalable autonomous systems. With strategic competition with China intensifying, the military is keen on enhancing its AI capabilities in air combat and logistics, even as fully autonomous fighter aircraft remain years from deployment.