AI pilots F-16 as DARPA and the U.S. Air Force test autonomous air combat

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. — The U.S. Air Force has begun in-flight testing of an artificial intelligence agent controlling a modified F-16, marking a step toward operationally relevant autonomy on frontline fighter aircraft. The effort is part of the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM), a joint Air Force–DARPA initiative derived from DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution program.

The VENOM fleet consists of standard F-16s refitted to host autonomy without altering the jet’s core software. A hardware and software package known as the VENOM Autonomy Kit interfaces with flight controls and mission systems, allowing the pilot to switch between human and AI control. A human pilot remains in the cockpit to supervise the agent and manage safety, enabling iterative “human-on-the-loop” testing in real-world conditions. According to DARPA, the latest flights took place at Eglin in June.

“These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities,” said Brig. Gen. James “Fangs” Valpiani, Ph.D., DARPA program manager. “The Air Force and DARPA team has automated flight controls and sensors on a standard F-16 without changing the jet’s core software. This enables an efficient pipeline for developing dominant AI for aerial combat, allowing us to rapidly innovate for the warfighter.”

The campaign builds on earlier ACE demonstrations using the X-62A VISTA, which showed an AI agent could execute a dogfight on a fighter-class platform. By moving from a unique test aircraft to multiple line F-16s, the program aims to prove it can scale autonomy development across operational fleets and accelerate software iteration with repeatable, safe flight trials.

DARPA plans to use the VENOM jets as a primary testbed for its Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program, which will trial multiple AI agents in live scenarios and expand toward beyond-visual-range and multi-ship missions. The agency positions this work as foundational for future concepts such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, where human pilots direct teams of autonomous uncrewed systems.

“The emerging threat environment, especially as it relates to aerial combat, is growing increasingly complex,” added Valpiani. “AI has tremendous potential to help humans manage this complexity in beyond-visual-range combat, but many hard questions remain concerning the performance and trustworthiness of combat AI in the extreme fog and friction of modern warfare. The AIR program aims to apply cutting-edge combat agents to operationally relevant scenarios to address these questions and field war-deterring, war-winning capabilities to our warfighters.”

Leadership on the effort is also shifting. Valpiani is set to conclude his tenure as a DARPA program manager later this month. Lt. Col. Patrick “Dice” Highland, Ph.D., recently joined the agency and will take over as program manager for AIR.

“I’m incredibly proud of the AIR program’s role in advancing our nation’s combat autonomy, demonstrated by this VENOM milestone,” said Highland. “We now have the opportunity to create dominant autonomy for beyond-visual-range, multi-ship combat. These flights give us an early glimpse of how AI agents may begin actively transforming air warfare.”

On the Air Force side, Terry Wilson, Ph.D., who directs AI Development and Transition for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Autonomy Capability Team (ACT3), continues as deputy program manager for VENOM and AIR, providing continuity and coordination across the joint team.

“I share Gen. Valpiani’s deep appreciation for the incredible dedication of our DARPA and industry teammates, joint engineers, the System Program Office, Eglin’s test and maintenance crews, and the entire AIR and VENOM ecosystem which has made this milestone possible,” said Wilson. “I look forward to unleashing the VENOM platform and moving these capabilities out of simulation and into the sky.”

DARPA says the next phase will emphasize faster model development cycles and progressively more complex, multi-ship flight tests to validate robust, trustworthy autonomy for future joint operations.