World’s only self-flying F-16 tests path toward autonomous air combat

The X-62A VISTA, a heavily modified F-16D Fighting Falcon, is currently the world’s only self-flying F-16 and serves as a key experimental platform for advancing autonomous air combat capabilities. Originally built in the early 1990s as a variable in-flight simulator, it was reconfigured in 2021 by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and Calspan to test artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technologies that enable the jet to fly, maneuver, and eventually fight without human input. The aircraft retains the performance characteristics of a frontline fighter, including speeds approaching Mach 2, but carries no weapons and operates with a safety pilot onboard during tests. In 2022, the X-62A successfully flew with an AI agent controlling the aircraft for extended periods, marking a milestone as the first tactical jet actively flown by AI. Lockheed Martin’s efforts with the X-62A have accelerated under DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution program, which focuses on training