US Air Force begins piloted flights, autonomy tests for modified F-16s

The U.S. Air Force began piloted flights and autonomy tests for modified F-16s that allows artificial intelligence agents to fly the aircraft.

The agents are able to fly the F-16s in the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model, or VENOM, program through the aircraft’s additional hardware, software and instrumentation installed, according to a release.

A F-16 Fighting Falcon equipped with the technology completed a sortie recently at the Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for the 96th Test Wing, per the announcement.

The modified aircraft began flights in June to verify that the aircraft worked properly with all the technology involved. A month later, the unit began in-air-testing using an agent to autonomously control the flight.

The pilots, located in the cockpit during the flights, monitored the AI agents to ensure the flight and mission systems tests objectives were met, the release reads.

“Getting the aircraft into the air is always a monumental milestone for a complex test program,” Tim Stevens, a VENOM test pilot with the 40th Flight Test Squadron, said in the release.

“It represents years of design, modification and test planning poured into this project by a dedicated team of hundreds,” he continued.

VENOM, which is a joint effort between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, and the Air Force was initiated under the Air Combat Evolution program. The aircraft in the program are meant to serve in the next phase of AI development in DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements program.

The aircraft underwent months of ground testing of its engines and systems to ensure the functionality of the technology, and also completed many simulation hours dating back to 2024, according to the release.

The 53rd Wing and 96th Test Wing joined together in the VENOM program, but the early tests have been conducted by developmental testers in the 40th Flight Test Squadron.