The U.S. Air Force (USAF) is preparing to move forward with the testing of the uncrewed F-16 Variable Stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft (X-62 VISTA) in increasingly complex and demanding scenarios. Following a Mission Systems Upgrade (MSU), the USAF Test Pilot School (TPS) – part of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base – is expanding the capabilities of the FIGHTING FALCON-based testbed to provide a more robust infrastructure for autonomy testing.

According to Lockheed Martin, the X-62A VISTA is a unique training and experimentation aircraft developed by the company’s most renowned division, Skunk Works, in collaboration with Calspan Corporation. Formerly designated NF-16D, the aircraft was formally redesignated X-62A VISTA in June 2021, when it was recognized by the USAF as a national asset. Built on an open systems architecture, VISTA has been modified to evaluate artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy capabilities, enabling it to replicate the performance characteristics of other aircraft types.

Funded by the USAF Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) in response to a specific Request for Information (RFI), the upgrade focuses on advancing radar and sensor integration. The objective is to enhance VISTA’s AI capabilities, enabling greater integration, collaboration, and real-time decision-making. As explained by the TPS Commandant, Col. Maryann Karlen, the USAF aims to broaden its exploration of autonomy integration across air and space operations. In this context, the X-62 serves as a bridge between the traditional, human-centric approach and the future integration of uncrewed combat aviation, significantly expanding the role of AI and autonomous systems.

The radar introduced with the new MSU is described as “part of a set of modular components that can be used individually or together to provide sensory input to aircraft,” Col. Karlen noted, underlining the system’s flexibility and scalability.

With this update, the USAF’s goal is to field a machine-learning-based platform capable of autonomously processing raw data from the AESA radar and “directly controlling the sensors using either the existing modes available through the radar’s Operational Flight Program (OFP), or through experimental modes and combinations of modes that are inaccessible or unachievable by human operators.”

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