The challenge will be open to entries in November, and there's a strong incentive to get cracking. There's a $2 million total prize pool, and there's a $250,000 reward for the first team that can outrun a pro DRL pilot.

Both sides have an obvious publicity incentive to back drone racing AI. For Lockheed, however, it's more than that. The technology developed through AlphaPilot could lead to pilotless aircraft (both civilian and military) that would be cheaper and more flexible to operate than their human-guided counterparts.