DARPA, U.S. Air Force Fly AI-Controlled F-16

Historic VENOM milestone demonstrates scalable AI development capabilities for the operational fleet.

Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA), Eglin Air Force Base, FL

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.