DARPA and U.S. Air Force Fly AI-Controlled F-16 Fighter
Original: DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16
Why This Matters
Demonstrates scalable AI integration into standard military aircraft, accelerating autonomous combat aviation development.
DARPA and the U.S. Air Force announced on July 16, 2026, that an F-16 modified under the VENOM program is undergoing in-air testing with an AI agent autonomously controlling flight, marking a major milestone in scalable combat AI development for the operational fleet.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet modified under the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM) program has begun in-air testing with an AI agent autonomously controlling flight operations. The milestone was announced on July 16, 2026, from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
VENOM is a joint program between the U.S. Air Force and DARPA, building on the earlier Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, which previously demonstrated AI-controlled dogfighting aboard the unique X-62A VISTA aircraft. VENOM extends this capability to standard operational F-16s using the VENOM Autonomy Kit (VAK) — a hardware and software package that interfaces with the aircraft's flight controls and mission systems without modifying its core software.
The VAK allows pilots to switch between human and AI control with a single switch, maintaining a human-on-the-loop safety environment. Brig. Gen. James "Fangs" Valpiani, DARPA program manager, stated: "This enables an efficient pipeline for developing dominant AI for aerial combat, allowing us to rapidly innovate for the warfighter."
The VENOM fleet will serve as the foundation for DARPA's next-phase Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program, which will test multiple AI agents in live-flight scenarios to enable human pilots to command teams of autonomous uncrewed aircraft, including future Collaborative Combat Aircraft.