DARPA and US Air Force fly F-16 under AI control in VENOM tests

DARPA and the US Air Force have flown a modified F-16 under the control of an artificial intelligence agent, moving autonomous combat testing from a one-off research project to actual modified frontline fighters.

The service began flying VENOM-modified aircraft in June 2026 to confirm that the jets and their new systems operated safely. Test teams then allowed an AI agent to control an F-16 in flight in July, while a pilot remained in the cockpit to monitor the aircraft and take control if necessary.

The program uses the name Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model–Autonomy Flying Testbed, or VENOM-AFT.

Engineers equipped the F-16s with additional hardware, software and instrumentation that allow AI agents to fly the aircraft. DARPA said the modification automates the aircraft’s flight controls and sensors without changing the F-16’s core software.

A human pilot can switch between conventional controls and autonomous operation during a flight. The pilot stays in the cockpit throughout the test and monitors the AI agent, aircraft systems and mission objectives.

“These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities,” DARPA Program Manager Brig. Gen. James Valpiani said.

Valpiani said the system gives the Air Force and DARPA a faster way to develop and test AI tech for aerial combat.

The Air Force did not discuss the specific maneuvers or mission tasks the AI performed during the recent test flights. It also did not identify the autonomy software or company behind the AI agent.

DARPA says early sorties focused on confirming that the modified aircraft could fly safely with the VENOM equipment installed. Engineers completed months of engine runs, aircraft-system checks and simulation work before flight testing began. The program’s ground-test work dated back to 2024.

“Getting the aircraft into the air is always a monumental milestone for a complex test program,” VENOM Test Pilot Tim Stevens said. “It represents years of design, modification and test planning poured into this project by a dedicated team of hundreds.”

The 40th Flight Test Squadron has led much of the early developmental testing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The 53rd Wing and 96th Test Wing are also working together on the program with support from DARPA.

VENOM expands on X-62 VISTA testing

VENOM builds on earlier work with the X-62A Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, or VISTA.

DARPA used the heavily modified F-16 test aircraft to demonstrate AI-controlled air combat under its Air Combat Evolution program. The agency said an AI agent flew the X-62A during close-range dogfighting tests against human pilots.

The X-62A remains a specialized, one-of-a-kind research aircraft. VENOM gives the Air Force a way to install and test autonomy systems aboard more conventional F-16s without redesigning the entire aircraft.

The Air Force received the first three F-16s for VENOM conversion at Eglin in 2024. At the time, the service said developmental and operational test pilots would work from the same location, allowing them to share data and feedback directly with autonomy developers.

The VENOM aircraft will now support DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements program, which focuses on AI-controlled, multi-aircraft combat beyond visual range. DARPA plans to test autonomy software first aboard crewed F-16s and later transfer it to uncrewed combat aircraft.

The program will also help the Air Force develop ways for pilots to direct groups of autonomous aircraft rather than control every movement individually.

The work builds on the service’s wider effort to field uncrewed combat aircraft alongside crewed fighters. The Air Force is currently testing the General Atomics YFQ-42A and Anduril YFQ-44A under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

The Air Force said the team will refine the aircraft and autonomy systems after each flight and gradually expand the complexity of the tests. It did not provide a schedule for the next phase of the program.The post DARPA and US Air Force fly F-16 under AI control in VENOM tests appeared first on AeroTime.

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