The Air Force Let AI Fly an F-16. The Pilot Was Just Watching

Last month, an F-16 took off from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. There was a pilot in the seat. The AI was flying the plane. This is not a simulation. It is not a test drone in a controlled lab. It is a standard combat-ready F-16, the same model already in service across the U.S. Air Force fleet, flying autonomous missions over American airspace. The human in the seat had one job: watch, and take over if something went wrong.