F-16 Drones as Robotic Wingmen to Pilots? This is What Project VENOM Aims to Achieve

There is a significant plan in the United States Air Force fleet, particularly with the renowned F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, centering on transforming it into an autonomous drone to fly alongside human-piloted F-35s. This is known as Project VENOM, and it plans to automate as many as 1,000 F-16 aircraft of the military for future needs.

It is officially known as the "Collaborative Combat Aircraft" (CCA) that will assist human pilots in their missions, acting as effective wingmen to assist and provide support for the fleet's leader.

F-16 Drones to Act as Robotic Wingmen for Human-Piloted F-35s

PopSci's latest report centers on the massive project of the US Air Force for its next-generation fleet, and it does not necessarily mean the acquisition of new aircraft, but rather the repurposing of its current F-16 fleet. Pilots have nicknamed the F-16s the "Viper," and these stinging fighter jets are soon to be developed as an autonomous wingman drones for human-piloted F-35s.

The goal is to center on providing additional assistance that could provide additional support to human pilots, further expanding the fleet by delegating robotic wingmen to fly with humans.

These F-16 drones could bring services like dogfighting, as well as act as "force multipliers" for piloted jets in the future, under the program Project VENOM.

Project VENOM: Automation of F-16 Fighting Falcons

Project VENOM stands for "Viper Experimentation and Next-Generation Operations Model," regarded as the future of the Air Force fleet. It centers on the automation of the F-16 Fighting Falcons, one of the top military fighter jets at the present.

Initially, the development would center on half a dozen of the F-16s, but the end goal of this project is to have at least 1,000 of the fighter jets to assist human-piloted drones with their automated power.

Autonomous Military Aircraft

Drones have proven to be an effective and adept tool in defense and warfare, as it provides support and firepower without sacrificing their human pilots, keeping them away from harm, especially in uncharted regions. With the development of military drones, companies like Red Cat centers on supplying the military with remotely-piloted and autonomous machines to boost their fleet.

There is also the famous Chinese J-20 jet, a.k.a. the Mighty Dragon, which is getting a combat drone to accompany it on its missions, one that could also boost its air power towards its goals.

Previous drone developments may have focused on the small-sized machines that are small and agile to bring military power and add to their "tools of the trade," but drones are evolving into full-sized aircraft soon.

The goal of these drones is to protect human life, while at the same time, providing defensive and offensive capabilities to threats and enemies both on the air and ground.

Project VENOM aims to fly high with its automated developments, centering on the renowned F-16 vehicles, best known as the highly-maneuverable fighter jet that would see its new purpose as autonomous sidekicks to provide support.