US Air Force and DARPA successfully fly AI‑controlled F‑16 fighter

The United States Air Force, in partnership with DARPA, completed a flight of an F‑16 fighter jet that was completely piloted by artificial intelligence. The aircraft was equipped with the VENOM Autonomy Kit, which links the AI system to the plane’s mission and flight‑control systems while providing a manual switch for an onboard pilot to regain control instantly.

The test moves the program from earlier experimental prototypes to retrofitting operational combat aircraft, demonstrating a scalable approach for integrating advanced combat AI across the fleet. The project now enters the Artificial Intelligence Reinforcements (AIR) phase, during which the VENOM‑equipped jets will evaluate various AI agents in real‑world flights, with the ultimate goal of enabling human pilots to command teams of autonomous, unmanned aircraft in combat scenarios.