Updating Augustine’s Law: AI’s Future Role In Fighter Jet Operations

In 1984, Norman Ralph Augustine, an aerospace industry businessman who had previously served as the Undersecretary of the Army, published a series of algorithms that showed how the cost of developing new fighter jets for the United States Air Force had continued to grow astronomically over time. These equations, which were eventually dubbed Augustine’s laws, were the output of a series of famous studies, highlighting the exponential growth of operating and development costs for US fighters. This trend has continued long after the original study was published.