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I’m flying a Typhoon fighter over the Irish Sea and I’ve got a big problem. There’s a hostile jet on my tail, and no matter how I push the joystick, or play with the throttle, this enemy is still there. The threat is represented by a black triangle on the computer screen ahead of me that also displays a Typhoon cockpit. I’m in a series of three dogfights on a simulator and the results are not good. That annoying little image won’t leave my six o’clock position, and I lose 3-0 to the ominous black triangle. The ace I’m up against is an AI dogfighter developed by Turkish aerospace engineers commissioned by defence giant BAE Systems. They’ve been working on an AI co-pilot that could save a real life aviator in a dogfight, and will find its way into sophisticated warfighting simulators.   One of the engineers, Emre Saldiran, is studying at Cranfield University in the UK, which has strong aerospace links. He describes how the AI co-pilot picked up fighting tactics by a process of trial and error. “We reinforce the AI’s learning with more and more data put into the dogfight simulator.” One of his objectives is to address the information overload fighter pilots endure. His colleague Mevlϋt Uzun assures me that AI takes a lot of learning to beat humans. “The AI made millions of mistakes. Teaching it is like guiding a child.” But once trained the AI can offer valuable advice, according to Mr Uzun. “The AI can tell a pilot to slow down or speed up. And it can evaluate an emerging dogfight and warn of a 70% probability the pilot will lose if they get into that fight.” So the AI warns pilots of situations likely to end in their jet being shot down and it takes that decision in milliseconds. But the design team aren’t making any big claims about it replacing a pilot. “It’s just a piece of code, you could run it on your phone,” says Mr Uzun. Today their program is running off a normal laptop PC. Michael Dempsey   Mevlϋt Uzun (left) and Emre Saldira have been working on a dogfighting AI   The US Air Force revealed its own, rather more elaborate, AI dogfighter in 2023. It was demonstrated flying an F-16 jet in combat manoeuvres. This flight was the culmination of years of work aimed at creating an AI that could beat a living pilot. Eight US AI companies went head to head in 2020 during a three-day competition known as the AlphaDogfight Trials Event. This involved simulated online dogfights between the competing AI programs and an experienced USAF fighter pilot. The winning program beat the pilot repeatedly, and Brett Darcey of US defence shop Shield AI was on the three-strong team that built it. He remembers the AlphaDogfight event vividly. “The competitors ranged from the big boys like [defence giant] Lockheed Martin down to us.” They started out by pitching their AI pilot against a target flying straight and level, “a sitting duck” says Mr Darcey. They progressed to fighting other AI pilots, getting the AI to think about tactics. Certain rules, such as the length of each dogfight (usually five minutes) and the maximum speed they could attain were set. But there was no requirement to abide by USAF doctrine. “Our AI used a head-on merge with the target as an opportunity to fire guns,” he says. This novel tactic went against accepted air fighting doctrine. The AI had learned to reject rules when it could spot a better move. Points were awarded with each combat, the AI evolving to match successful outcomes. Multiple copies of the AI were generated by this evolution as the competing AI pilots measured up to each other’s changing tactics. These heats left Mr Darcey’s group to oppose an experienced USAF fighter pilot wearing a VR headset that put him in the cockpit of an F-16. Thanks to victories scored against that human pilot, Mr Darcey’s small team was invited into the government's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), which develops technology for the US Department of Defense. Specifically, they joined Darpa's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) project. When Darpa’s AI-driven F-16 took to the air it was controlled during combat by a distant descendant of the software Mr Darcey's team wrote in 2020. AI evolves at a startling pace. Mr Darcey says this was “a many times removed grandson of the AlphaDogfighter AI.” Despite a bewildering rate of development AI has a long way to go. The ACE jet has a safety pilot on board for take-off and landing who can switch off the AI at any time.   USAF   In dogfights the USAF artificial intelligence used unconventional tactics For an AI pilot to be effective it has to win a lot of trust and be able to integrate into wider forces around it. Intriguingly Mr Darcey says a big question is how an AI pilot can “explain itself on the ground”, debriefing human controllers on its actions and motives. The UK AI dogfighter is very thrifty compared to its US cousin. “They are teaching the AI to fly an aircraft” says Dr Uzun. “We don’t need to do that.” Paring the project down by concentrating on combat moves alone meant the Cranfield team worked fast. “What they took weeks to do we did in two days.” One man whose career spans the rise of digital defence tools is Michael Hull. Now a principal technologist at BAE Systems in Warton, Lancashire, he joined the business as an apprentice electronics engineer in 1990. Dramatic changes he has witnessed, include the way innovations that once emerged from inside defence companies now travel in the other direction. “We pull technology like AI into defence from the public domain.” So, the AI dogfighter’s frugal heritage includes air-to-air combat tactics downloaded from Wikipedia, leaving classified information well out of the picture and contributing to the pace of the project.   Mick Hull   Mick Hull says that defence firms are increasingly using civilian technology How did the quick assembly British AI dogfighter fare against a real Top Gun? Ben Westoby-Brooks flew Typhoons for the RAF and works for BAE Systems. He went up against the AI dogfighter and defeated it. The AI dogfighter is no substitute for thousands of hours flying fast jets in very demanding circumstances. But it feeds into realistic online combat exercises and could reduce pilot overload in a genuine cockpit.

Tesla boss Elon Musk says the electric car maker will start producing and using humanoid robots from next year. In a social media post, Mr Musk said the robots will first be used by Tesla, which will start making them to sell in 2026. The announcement came as the technology billionaire has been pushing to cut costs at Tesla in the face of weakening demand for its cars. On Tuesday, the company reported that profits had dropped by nearly half for the three months to the end of June, falling from $2.7bn (£2.09bn) to less than $1.5bn (£1.16bn), as a sales slump weighed on the bottom line. "Overall, our focus remains on company-wide cost reduction," the company said on Tuesday in an update for investors. Tesla said its automotive revenue fell 7% year-on-year in the quarter, despite a flurry of price cuts and other incentives aimed at enticing customers. It still eked out an overall revenue rise of 2%, thanks to growth in its energy storage business. Tesla's shares fell by almost 8% in after-hours trading. Mr Musk's businesses have been increasingly focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and robots at a time of slowing demand for electric vehicles. Mr Musk had previously said he expected the robot, called Optimus, to be ready for use in Tesla factories by the end of this year. "Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026," Mr Musk said on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Other firms, including Honda and Boston Dynamics, have also been developing their own humanoid robots. Tesla has said it aims to build an "autonomous humanoid robot" to perform "unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks." Mr Musk has previously said Tesla aimed for the robots to be mass produced and cost less than $20,000 (£17,900) each. He is known for setting ambitious timelines for his companies, which he has not always met. In 2019, he said he felt "very confident" Tesla would have self-driving taxis on the road by the following year. Earlier this year, Mr Musk said the long-awaited robo-taxi would be unveiled on 8 August, but that event has reportedly been delayed. Tesla said on Tuesday that it was still working "vigorously" on robo-taxis, but the timing of the rollout would depend in part on regulatory approval.

The government is set to use British seabed owned by the Royal Family to build thousands of windfarms which it hopes will power 20 million homes. It is the first major plan to be announced by Great British Energy, the government's new company aimed at increasing renewable energy which will receive £8.3bn in state funding over the next five years. The deal with the Crown Estate means that the monarchy's land and property business will lease the land on which windfarms can be developed and built. The Crown Estate owns the majority of the seabed which stretches up to 12 nautical miles from the mainland,. But the Conservatives said GB Energy is "nothing but a gimmick that will end up costing families".   Energy security and net zero secretary Ed Miliband claimed investments in windfarms as well as other renewables such as solar energy is "going to lead to lower bills over the parliament". He told the Today programme: "Millions of people around our country have suffered from the worst energy bills crisis in decades. Mr Miliband added that "the only answer to never again is to get off fossil fuels". Labour's hope is that GB Energy, a key manifesto pledge, will reduce UK "over-reliance" on fossil fuel markets, with prices rising rapidly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is turn pushed up the pace of general price rises, contributing to the cost-of-living crisis. GB Energy will be "at the heart of the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower", the government said. It added that the company will take stakes in energy projects to help speed them up. This includes giving a boost to technologies including carbon capture and storage, which has yet to be deployed at scale, along with hydrogen, wave and tidal energy. Eventually, GB Energy may take a controlling interest in some renewables generation projects. The partnership with the Crown Estate will mainly focus on offshore wind projects. It will lead to between 20GW and 30GW of new offshore wind reaching seabed lease stage by 2030, the government said. The Crown Estate already had this as a target, but on Thursday the government confirmed it will help. The agreement is only for projects around England and Wales, but the UK government is also in discussions with the Scottish Government and Crown Estate Scotland on support for Scottish projects.   With GB Energy's £8.3bn of funding, Labour hopes to attract £60bn of investment. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the plans were "turbocharging our country toward energy security", and promised that it would lower energy bills. However, the Conservatives have said GB Energy "will end up costing families, not cutting bills". “Labour have already been forced to admit that their flagship energy company won't generate any energy, and now we know it's a financial black hole - funnelling taxpayer's money into reducing risk for multi-million-pound energy companies," said shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho. The government wants GB Energy to speed up renewable energy projects by helping them develop, and invest in them alongside private investors. It wants it to work with local energy projects and the nuclear industry. Alongside a new law to create GB Energy, the government will also loosen regulation on the Crown Estate so it can invest and borrow more. The government has taken a number of decisions on renewables generation since coming to power in the recent election. It has approved three big onshore solar farm projects which have faced local opposition. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has also scrapped a de facto ban on onshore wind developments.

      Looking to check out some classic Australian cars? These are some of the best museums around the country displaying what we once made. With Australia Day is here once again we lament the loss of locally built cars – with more than six years now passed since the final Holden rolled off the production line. While we no longer build our own cars, there are plenty of places around Australia which celebrate our motoring heritage. Australia loves a museum, and we – like you, hopefully – love cars, so here’s five motoring museums you should visit which put our locally-made cars on a pedestal. National Motor Museum: Birdwood, South Australia   Where: Shannon Street, Birdwood, South Australia Cost: Adults $22.50, concession $17, children aged five and over $9 Opening hours: 10am-5pm every day except Christmas Day and “days of catastrophic fire danger” Located an hour north-east of Adelaide, the National Motor Museum in Birdwood has been an institution for Australian-made vehicles since 1965. There’s also an array of imported cars which became local favourites, plus quirky models rarely seen on the road. Until the end of December 2024, the National Motor Museum is hosting a ‘Holden Heroes’ exhibition, displaying some of the most iconic cars to be built here – and rare prototypes we wish had seen production. National Motor Racing Museum: Bathurst, New South Wales   Where: Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, New South Wales Cost: Adults $15, concession $10, school-age children $7 Opening hours: 9am-4:30pm every day except Tuesdays Australia’s most prominent car racing museum is located at the final corner of the country’s most famous circuit, with the car park adjacent to the main straight of Mount Panorama.               LEARN MORE       A favourite of racing fans, the National Motor Racing Museum largely celebrates Bathurst’s racing history, with hundreds of iconic races happening on its doorstep. There are a number of fixed displays in the museum, though collectors and racing teams often loan out iconic cars on a temporary basis – meaning no two visits are identical. Fans of motorcycles can also get their fix at the NMRM, with bikes and sidecars given their own section in the spotlight.   Trafalgar Holden Museum: Trafalgar, Victoria   Where: Waterloo Road, Trafalgar, Victoria Cost: Adults $15, concession $10, children $5 Opening hours: 10am-5pm every day With the impending closure of the National Holden Motor Museum in Echuca, the Trafalgar Motor Museum now serves as one of Australia’s largest collections of the now-defunct brand’s cars. However, Trafalgar’s museum houses more than just cars, showcasing items from before Holden became an auto company in 1947 such as buggies, saddles and – eventually – a restored World War II anti-tank gun. The museum is located about 90 minutes east of the Melbourne CBD, making it an easy half-day trip to see some iconic Holdens. National Automobile Museum of Tasmania: Launceston, Tasmania   Where: Lindsay Street, Invermay, Tasmania Cost: Adults $14, children aged 16 or less $7.50 Opening hours: 9am-5pm every day Rev heads in the Apple Isle don’t have to miss out on their fix of iconic cars, courtesy of Launceston’s National Automobile Museum of Tasmania (NATM). The third NATM iteration, the current location has been open since mid-2019, and houses a number of classic Australian muscle cars, race cars and motorcycles. Among the list of the museum’s current displays is the “Hall of Muscle”, billed as a “celebration of the Australian muscle car”, with high-performance Holdens and Fords taking centre stage. Museum of Vehicle Evolution: Shepparton, Victoria Where: Goulburn Valley Highway, Kialla, Victoria Cost: Adults $20, concession $16, children aged five and over $12.00 Opening hours: 10am-4pm every day Victoria is spoilt for choice when it comes to car museums, thanks in part to Australian former brands such as Holden – and current marques like Ford – being based in the state. Among the collection of Australian-made cars in Shepparton is an impressive display of Kenworth trucks, former police cars, and a handful of racing machines. The Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE) is a two-hour drive north from the Melbourne CBD, located on the outskirts of Shepparton.  

Diesel Cars for Sale in South Africa: A Comprehensive Guide Diesel cars hold their ground as reliable, fuel-efficient, and powerful options for South African drivers. As we enter a new period, the search for the best diesel cars becomes crucial, especially for those seeking quality, performance, and cost-effectiveness. In this article, we’ll delve into diesel-powered vehicles, providing insights into the best options available for sale in South Africa. Diesel Cars: An Overview Diesel cars have garnered popularity for their fuel efficiency and torque-rich performance. South Africa, with its diverse terrains and long stretches of road, is an ideal landscape for diesel vehicles. Whether you’re in the market for a new or used diesel car, there are several factors to consider, including make, model, and source. Best Used Diesel Cars in South Africa in 2024 Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6: First, the Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 stands out as a formidable choice, known for its robust build and off-road capabilities. When seeking used diesel cars, this model often surfaces as a top pick for its reliability and resale value. Volkswagen Golf 7 2.0 TDI: Second, the Volkswagen Golf 7 2.0 TDI strikes a balance between performance and comfort. This compact diesel car is a great option for urban driving, offering fuel efficiency without compromising on driving dynamics. Ford Ranger 2.2 TDCi: Third, the Ford Ranger 2.2 TDCi, a versatile pick-up truck, is a common sight on South African roads. Its diesel engine delivers ample power, making it suitable for both work and leisure. Used Diesel Automatic Cars: Driving Convenience Besides, for those inclined towards automatic transmissions, there are noteworthy diesel options in the South African market. BMW 320d: First, the BMW 320d, renowned for its luxury and performance, comes with an automatic diesel variant. This sedan combines elegance and the joy of the drive, which makes it a popular option among enthusiasts. Mercedes-Benz C220d: Certainly, the Mercedes-Benz C220d is synonymous with sophistication. Its automatic diesel variant offers a smooth and refined driving experience, coupled with the brand’s signature comfort and style. Key Considerations When Buying Used Diesel Cars Mileage: Primarily, pay attention to the mileage on the used diesel car. Reduced mileage often indicates less wear and tear, which extends the lifespan. Service History: Further, a comprehensive service history is crucial. It offers information on the car’s upkeep, showing if it has been adequately cared for throughout the years. Vehicle Inspection: Also, before finalizing the purchase, consider a professional vehicle inspection. This process provides you peace of mind about your investment and guarantees that there are no hidden problems. Why Diesel Cars? Diesel vehicles offer distinct advantages, making them a preferred choice for many South African drivers. Fuel Efficiency: Primarily, diesel engines typically provide better fuel efficiency, translating to fewer trips to the pump and cost savings over time. Torque and Power: Diesel engines are also renowned for having a high torque, which makes them perfect for off-roading and hauling cargo. The additional power ensures a responsive and dynamic driving experience. Longevity: Also, diesel engines are renowned for their durability. With proper maintenance, a diesel car can last for a considerable number of miles, providing long-term value for the owner. Diesel Cars: A Sustainable Choice In the context of growing environmental consciousness, diesel cars are evolving to meet stricter emission standards. Therefore, many modern diesel vehicles come equipped with advanced emissions control systems, reducing their impact on the environment. This commitment to sustainability positions diesel cars as a responsible choice for eco-conscious South African drivers. Exploring Cheap Diesel Cars: Balancing Budget and Quality Further, for those on a budget, the quest for cheap diesel cars can be rewarding with proper research and consideration. Although affordability is important, dependability and quality must never be sacrificed. Renault Kwid 1.5 dCi: Firstly, the Renault Kwid 1.5 dCi stands out as a cost-effective option for urban driving. Its small size, paired with an economical diesel engine, makes it an appealing choice for people looking for a low-cost, fuel-efficient vehicle. Chevrolet Utility 1.3D Club: Then, the Chevrolet Utility 1.3D Club, a popular small utility vehicle, offers practicality and efficiency. With a diesel engine under the hood, it caters to those who prioritize functionality without breaking the bank. South Africa’s Diesel Car Market Trends Understanding the current trends in the South African diesel car market can provide valuable insights for prospective buyers. As a result, the chances of getting a vehicle that costs more than what it is worth are reduced. Rise in SUV and Crossover Diesel Models: The demand for diesel-powered SUVs and crossovers is on the rise, reflecting a shift towards vehicles that offer both versatility and fuel efficiency. Increased Emphasis on Technology: Further, modern diesel cars are equipped with advanced technology features, enhancing safety, convenience, and connectivity. The market for diesel cars has been greatly impacted by technology, which ranges from sophisticated driver-assistance technologies to touchscreen infotainment systems. As a result, you get entertainment, comfort, and reliability all in one.