DARPA and U.S. Air Force Fly AI-Controlled F-16 Fighter Jet in Autonomous Combat Test

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force have successfully flown an F-16 fighter jet autonomously controlled by an artificial intelligence agent, marking a significant milestone in the development of AI for aerial combat. The flight, conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, demonstrates the military's ability to retrofit standard operational aircraft with cutting-edge AI capabilities.

According to an official DARPA announcement, the aircraft is part of a group of F-16s converted into autonomous-capable platforms under the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model (VENOM) program. The work is a joint effort between the Air Force and DARPA, initiated under the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program. For those tracking breaking AI news, the test signals how quickly defense agencies are moving AI from the lab into the sky.

How the VENOM Autonomy Kit Works

The breakthrough centers on a modification known as the VENOM Autonomy Kit (VAK), which was designed and integrated by multiple performers under the DARPA ACE program. The kit uses a novel interface with the aircraft's flight controls and mission systems, allowing a pilot to toggle between traditional human control and AI control with the flip of a single switch. This design ensures a safe, reliable environment for what the military calls "human-on-the-loop" experimentation, where a human pilot remains present and can intervene at any moment.

Crucially, DARPA says the modification was achieved without changing the F-16's core software. Brig. Gen. James "Fangs" Valpiani, Ph.D., a DARPA program manager, said the achievement unlocks a faster development pipeline.

> "These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities. 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."

Building on the X-62A VISTA Legacy

The VENOM flight builds on earlier ACE program achievements with the X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA), a one-of-a-kind jet that proved an AI agent could autonomously pilot a fighter jet in a simulated dogfight. While the X-62A was a specialized testbed, the VENOM-modified F-16s represent a step toward deploying AI autonomy across the standard operational fleet.

The distinction matters. Proving that AI can fly a purpose-built experimental aircraft is one thing; demonstrating that off-the-shelf fighter jets can be retrofitted for autonomous flight is another entirely. The VENOM milestone suggests that the U.S. military could scale AI-controlled combat aircraft far more broadly than previously assumed.

The AIR Program: Next-Generation Combat Autonomy

Moving forward, the VENOM aircraft will anchor the next phase of AI development under DARPA's Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) program. The AIR program will use the VENOM fleet to test multiple AI agents in live-flight scenarios, paving the way for human pilots to command and orchestrate teams of autonomous, uncrewed aircraft.

Lt. Col. Patrick "Dice" Highland, Ph.D., the incoming program manager for AIR, framed the flights as an early look at a transformed battlespace.

> "I'm incredibly proud of the AIR program's role in advancing our nation's combat autonomy, demonstrated by this VENOM milestone. 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."

The capabilities advanced under AIR are intended to support a range of future joint force operations, including the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, which envisions large numbers of low-cost autonomous drones flying alongside crewed fighters.

Trust and Safety Questions

Despite the technical achievement, DARPA officials were candid about the challenges that remain. Valpiani noted that "the emerging threat environment, especially as it relates to aerial combat, is growing increasingly complex" and that "AI has tremendous potential to help humans manage this complexity in beyond-visual-range combat."

However, he cautioned that "many hard questions remain concerning the performance and trustworthiness of combat AI in the extreme fog and friction of modern warfare." The AIR program is designed, in part, to subject combat agents to operationally relevant scenarios that can begin to answer those questions.

The announcement comes amid intensifying global interest in military AI. The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee recently approved guardrails for military AI use in its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, and international discussions about autonomous weapons regulation continue at the United Nations.

Program Leadership Transitions

Valpiani will conclude his tenure as a DARPA program manager later in July 2026, with Highland stepping in to lead the AIR program. Terry Wilson, Ph.D., director of AI Development and Transition for the Air Force Research Laboratory's Autonomy Capability Team (ACT3), continues as deputy program manager, ensuring continuity across the DARPA-AFRL partnership.

Wilson emphasized the collaborative effort behind the milestone: "I look forward to unleashing the VENOM platform and moving these capabilities out of simulation and into the sky."

The AIR program plans to continue improving the speed and predictability of AI model development, scaling in-flight testing to multi-ship operations with increasing complexity in an effort to unlock robust AI-driven autonomy for the joint force.