Pictured is a U.S. Air Force photo of the X-62A VISTA aircraft taking off on April 16 from Edwards AFB, Calif. on a HAVE HEAT test mission with Rachel Kinard, Air Force Test Pilot School director of research, and Lt. Col. Philip Downing, 370th Flight Test Squadron commander.

As the Air Force nears a possible downselect decision on Increment 2 of the service's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program this year, the Air Force Test pilot school and Lockheed Martin's [LMT] Skunk Works division said on Tuesday that the X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA) conducted 27 air-to-air, artificial intelligence-enabled, practice intercepts of a T-38 target aircraft during eight flights of the X-62A in April. The X-62A used Lockheed Martin's Infrared Search and Track Legion pod during the "HAVE…