Prompt and Destroy & Delta CEO on AI in ATC

Date (UTC): 2026-04-08

Hi, it's Sam Chandra here, Founder and CEO of Deepsky. Delta's CEO said ATC was the biggest opportunity for AI in aviation, something I've been saying for years. And he's 100% right. If we can optimise air traffic control we have huge cost, time and emissions savings to reap. Staying in the ATC lane, ASI and Joby are teaming up to automate a significant portion of that for the expected surge in traffic from eVTOL (air taxi) operators, however this will have to be scaled up massively if drones are going to walk the talk they have been talking for a while now. Nice to see that Navblue will get some decent AI chops now. I've dealt with them as a customer, and like all flight planning systems, integrating a ton of data across the operating environment will again see a decent single digit saving in costs for airlines. And a big one "Prompt and Destroy" Palantir (AI for militaries) is rolling out their Agentic target acquisition and execution system Maven with some one way attack drones. There's nothing to be concerned about there of course. Enjoy.

Delta CEO Says AI's Biggest Opportunity in Aviation Is Air Traffic Control

Delta CEO Ed Bastian told Fortune that AI's most significant aviation impact lies in modernizing air traffic control, not the in-cabin experience. He argued ATC improvements could deliver faster, more efficient travel — noting flights from Atlanta to New York now take longer than they did in the 1950s.

Joby and Air Space Intelligence Partner to Prepare U.S. Airspace for Scaled Electric Flight

Joby Aviation and ASI will use ASI's Flyways AI platform — which integrates into existing ATC workflows rather than operating as a parallel UTM system — to coordinate high-density eVTOL operations in the National Airspace System. Joint live operational exercises are planned for later this year, with Joby having completed 1,000+ test flights and Stage 4 of FAA type certification.

Airbus Launches Skywise Subsidiary, Merging Navblue and Skywise Digital Services

Airbus merged its flight operations specialist Navblue with its Skywise data platform into a single subsidiary covering flight ops, technical ops, and ground ops for Airbus and non-Airbus fleets. The new entity employs ~750 people and manages data from 12,000+ connected aircraft, positioning Airbus as an end-to-end digital services provider for airline operations.

U.S. Army Accepts First Optionally-Piloted Black Hawk (H-60Mx)

The Army formally took delivery of the first Black Hawk equipped with Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy suite, transitioning from a decade of DARPA development into operational testing. Rigorous evaluation will validate ground-controlled and fully autonomous flight in complex scenarios — the goal is scaling autonomy across the entire Black Hawk fleet.

Army Tests AI-Enabled Strike Drone with Palantir's Agentic Targeting System

The 101st Airborne tested Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack one-way attack drone during Operation Lethal Eagle, demonstrating autonomous target detection via Palantir's Maven Smart System and its Agentic Effects Agent for real-time battlefield analysis. For a lighthearted but surprisingly accurate take on how Silicon Valley is reshaping military AI, Fireship's recent video “Tech bros optimized war… and it's working” is worth 10 minutes of your time.

IATA World Data Symposium Opens in Singapore — AI Headlines the Agenda

The IATA World Data Symposium convenes 700+ industry professionals in Singapore this week, with AI and automation as headline themes alongside cybersecurity and data governance. Sessions cover open AI integration, digital twins in airports, and cross-industry innovation, with Singapore Airlines' CEO and IATA DG Willie Walsh among speakers.

Sam here again - hope you've enjoyed reading this edition. If you need help navigating the safe adoption of AI in your flight operation, then we have you covered. Contact me at admin@deepskyai.com or visit deepskyai.com