DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16
The U.S. Air Force and DARPA have successfully conducted flight tests of an F-16 fighter jet controlled by an AI agent. This initiative, part of the VENOM program, aims to create a scalable infrastructure for testing autonomous combat capabilities on standard operational aircraft.
Why it matters
This marks a significant shift in military aviation, moving toward the integration of AI-driven autonomy in existing combat fleets.
Source: U.S. Air Force | Samuel King Jr., 96th Test Wing July 16, 2026 Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. — A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet, recently modified to serve as an autonomous flying testbed, is undergoing in-air testing using an artificial intelligence (AI) agent to autonomously control flight. This milestone advances state of the art technological infrastructure designed to enable rapid, scalable combat AI development across the joint force.
The aircraft is one of a group of F-16s that have been converted into autonomous-capable platforms under the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM) program — a joint effort between the U.S. Air Force and DARPA, initiated under the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program .
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