venom
Joint DARPA/US Air Force program retrofitting legacy F-16s with an autonomy kit for AI-controlled flight, under DARPA's Air Combat Evolution effort.
VENOM is a joint DARPA/US Air Force program, run under DARPA's Air Combat Evolution effort, that retrofits legacy F-16s with an autonomy kit letting a pilot toggle between human and AI control mid-flight without changing the jet's core flight software. Testing began with safety flights in June 2026; on July 16, 2026, an AI agent flew a VENOM-modified F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base while a safety pilot monitored from the cockpit. The program's stated goal is a fleet of autonomous aircraft that human pilots could command as a group in beyond-visual-range combat.
Program detail
- Agency
- DARPA / US Air Force
- Acronym
- VENOM
- Budget
- Undisclosed
- Phase
- Flight testing
- Domain
- Autonomous/AI-piloted flight
Participants0
No linked records yet.
Contracts0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What is venom?
- VENOM is a joint DARPA/US Air Force program, run under DARPA's Air Combat Evolution effort, that retrofits legacy F-16s with an autonomy kit letting a pilot toggle between human and AI control mid-flight without changing the jet's core flight software. Testing began with safety flights in June 2026; on July 16, 2026, an AI agent flew a VENOM-modified F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base while a safety pilot monitored from the cockpit. The program's stated goal is a fleet of autonomous aircraft that human pilots could command as a group in beyond-visual-range combat.
- Which agency runs venom?
- venom is run by DARPA / US Air Force and is also known as VENOM.
Sources & citations2
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
DARPA and the US Air Force flew an AI-controlled, VENOM-modified F-16 at Eglin Air Force Base on July 16, 2026, with a safety pilot in the cockpit
DARPA (official): DARPA, U.S. Air Force fly AI-controlled F-16Verified2026-07-16 - 2
Independent account of the DARPA/USAF VENOM F-16 autonomy test program and its Air Combat Evolution lineage
The Aviationist: DARPA and USAF Fly F-16 with VENOM Autonomy ModificationVerified2026-07-16