Air

Modified F-16s take AI flight control into live testing

Flight testing · July 16, 2026

A VENOM-modified F-16 climbs above Eglin Air Force Base during a test flight. — A VENOM-modified F-16 takes off for testing at Eglin Air Force Base, June 2026. A human pilot remains aboard the autonomy testbed. U.S. Air Force / Samuel King Jr., 96th Test Wing · Public domain (U.S. government work; DVIDS) · Resized and converted to WebP. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

DARPA reported in July 2026 that an F-16 modified under the VENOM program was undergoing flight tests with an AI agent controlling the aircraft. Human pilots remain aboard to monitor the experiments and can switch between manual and AI control.

The test aircraft support further work under DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements program. The announcement concerns an experimental flight-test platform; it does not show that an uncrewed combat fleet has been deployed. DARPA also identifies performance and trustworthiness under difficult conditions as continuing research questions.

Source checked September 24, 2026. Status describes the linked record, not an assumption about later progress.