Project VENOM will turn F-16 fighter jets into experimental drones

The US Air Force wants 1,000 guided drones to work with sixth- and fifth-generation fighters. To prepare for their creation, the service wants to conduct an experiment by turning F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters into drones.

Here's What We Know

The US Air Force has requested $50 million for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for a programme called the Viper Experimenting and Next-gen Operations Model, or Profect VENOM for short. The new project involves turning six fourth-generation aircraft into drones. To do this, they will receive special software.

The software will be able to control the aircraft without the pilot's involvement. Project VENOM will allow the US Air Force to test how effective such systems can be in the air and what benefits they will bring.

In the initial stages, the pilot will be in the cockpit of the aircraft and, if necessary, will be able to take control. Representatives of the US Air Force drew a parallel with Tesla's unmanned cars, which have travelled millions of miles, but so far, when autopilot is activated, the driver is not allowed to take his hands off the steering wheel and go about his business during the journey.

The US Air Force intends to develop the programme for several years. The service wants to invest $17-19 million annually in Project VENOM from FY2025 to FY2028. This means the total cost of the program will reach $120 million over 5 years.

Project VENOM will be a transitional phase towards the development of cooperative unmanned combat drones. They are being developed as part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme. The US Air Force wants 1,000 drones for the sixth generation fighters (200 units) and F-35 Lightning II (300 units), i.e. the pilot of each aircraft will control two drones.

Note that the Pentagon is already developing a project in which the F-16 flies without human involvement. Recently an artificial intelligence piloted a modified F-16 for 17 hours.

Source: Defence News