DARPA and USAF Fly F-16 with VENOM Autonomy Modification
The testbed will let an AI agent fly while a pilot stays onboard to monitor and intervene, the Air Force said.
6 Articles
6 Articles
DARPA, US Air Force fly F-16 under AI control
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 cockpi…
DARPA and USAF Fly F-16 with VENOM Autonomy Modification
The DARPA and U.S. Air Force are conducting human-on-the-loop in-air testing of AI-capable F-16s modified with the VENOM Autonomy Kit as part of DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements program. Two years after the beginning of the modifications, the first U.S. Air Force F-16 equipped with DARPA’s Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model (VENOM) Autonomy Kit (VAK) has flown. The modified jet will serve as an autonomous flying te…
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the Advanced Defense Research Project Agency (DARPA) started testing flights of artificial intelligence-controlled F-16 fighters as part of the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM) program. The initiative seeks to validate new autonomous capabilities for combat aircraft by incorporating [...] Entry The U.S. Air Force and DARPA started testing flights of artificial intelligence-controlle…
Cockpit AI Program Progresses to Piloted Flights
JULY 17, 2026 — A solo F-16 Fighting Falcon test pilot taxis through the Florida humidity toward a mission take off for the 96th Test Wing. From the outside, this is just another F-16 sortie on another day on the Eglin flight line. However, on the inside of the F-16, it carries new technology known as the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed program, or VENOM. The VENOM F-16s are modified test platforms w…
U.S. Air Force VENOM F-16 program advances to piloted flights and in-air autonomy testing under DARPA-backed effort
The VENOM F-16s began flying in June to verify that the aircraft operated safely and properly after the technology upgrades, the Air Force said. The team then moved in July to successful in-air testing using an agent to autonomously control flight. Pilots remain in the cockpit during these missions to monitor the AI agents and ensure flight and mission systems test objectives are met. The approach is intended to help the Air Force rapidly evolve…
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