The U.S. Air Force will begin modifying some of its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters as part of the Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed (VENOM-AFT) program, an initiative aimed at developing and evaluating autonomous technology for manned and unmanned aircraft.
Taking the first step towards F-16 participation in the mentioned program, the 96th Test Wing and the 53rd Wing received three Fighting Falcons. From the published images, at least one of the aircraft appears to be the F-16C Block 42J version belonging to the 16th Weapons Squadron.
U.S. Air Force Major Ross Elder, VENOM Development Test Chief, detailed, “…The VENOM program marks a pivotal chapter in advancing air combat capabilities. This transformative program has the potential to redefine paradigms of air combat by fostering innovative autonomous functions for both current and future manned and unmanned platforms…We eagerly anticipate the culmination of years of engineering and collaboration as VENOM leads a measured step into a new era of aviation…”.
VENOM-AFT was developed to accelerate autonomous software testing on both manned and unmanned aircraft, complementing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) experimentation testbed at Eglin. The results and experiences will contribute to the growth of information that feeds into the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program and other autonomy developers.
The next step of the VENOM program is to modify the recently incorporated F-16 Fighting Falcons to turn them into test platforms for autonomous capability evaluation. The U.S. Air Force clarified that during the trials, the F-16s will operate with a pilot on board to monitor autonomy and ensure that flight and mission system test objectives are met.
Lieutenant Colonel Joe Gagnon, commander of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, clarified, “…It’s important to understand the ‘man in the loop’ aspect of this type of testing, meaning a pilot will be involved in real-time autonomy and will retain the ability to initiate and stop specific algorithms…There will never be a moment when the VENOM aircraft ‘flies solo’ without a human component…”.
The goal of the VENOM program is to enable the Air Force to iterate and rapidly expand the knowledge base for potential autonomy and payload solutions.
Cover image: USAF – David Shelikoff
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