The US Air Force and DARPA have successfully flown an F-16 fighter jet under the control of an artificial intelligence agent, marking a significant milestone in the development of autonomous air combat capabilities [1]. The flight tests, conducted under the VENOM program, demonstrate the ability to transform standard operational fleet aircraft into autonomous-capable platforms [2]. The VENOM program is a joint effort between the US Air Force and DARPA, initiated under the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program [3]. The modification, known as the VENOM Autonomy Kit (VAK), was designed and integrated by multiple performers under the DARPA ACE program [4].

The kit utilizes 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 switch [5]. According to Brig. Gen. James “Fangs” Valpiani, DARPA program manager, “These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities” [6].

The AIR program will continue to improve speed and predictivity of model development and scale in-flight testing to multi-ship operations with increased complexity to unlock novel and robust AI-driven autonomy [7].

Sources

  1. https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16
  2. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/darpa-us-air-force-ai-f16-venom-tests
  3. https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/u-s-air-force-f-16-fighter-flies-under-ai-control-as-darpa-expands-venom-combat-tests
  4. https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16
  5. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/darpa-us-air-force-ai-f16-venom-tests
  6. https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16
  7. https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/u-s-air-force-f-16-fighter-flies-under-ai-control-as-darpa-expands-venom-combat-tests