DARPA and the U.S. Air Force have flown an F-16 fighter jet under full AI control for the first time, marking a milestone for the VENOM (Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model) program. A human pilot stayed in the cockpit as a safety backup, but the VENOM Autonomy Kit (VAK) — specialized computing hardware, sensors and software layered onto the jet without altering its core flight software — made real-time flight decisions on its own.
Six F-16s at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida have been fitted with the VAK since 2024-2025. After safety checks in June 2026, test teams let an AI agent take the controls in July, building on an earlier AI dogfight test flown in DARPA's X-62A VISTA aircraft. Brig. Gen. James "Fangs" Valpiani called the flights a step toward "trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities," while Lt. Col. Patrick "Dice" Highland said the work opens the door to "dominant autonomy for beyond-visual-range, multi-ship combat."
The VENOM program is part of DARPA's Air Combat Evolution (ACE) effort, aimed at eventually letting human pilots command teams of autonomous, uncrewed aircraft alongside their own. The pilot can still switch between human and AI control at the push of a button, keeping a person in the loop as the technology matures from simulation to real flight.