X-62 VISTA: AI Test Jet Draws 30 Proposals Where 3 Were Expected

by Max Grünwald | Oct 15, 2026 | Military Aviation, News | 0 comments

The US Air Force asked for three ideas and got more than thirty. When the Air Force Test Pilot School invited researchers to propose flight tests for the X-62 VISTA in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, it hoped for three test concepts. It received more than 30, the 412th Test Wing said in a release published on 13 October 2026.

The X-62 is a heavily modified two-seat F-16 that can mimic other aircraft's handling and host AI flight software with safety pilots on board. It is already the jet that flew an AI-versus-human dogfight in 2023. The new demand shows how many organisations now want time on it.

Quick Facts

Aircraft: X-62 VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft), modified F-16D
Operator: US Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB
Proposals received: More than 30 for FY2027 and FY2028
Initial goal: Three test concepts
Symposium: Inaugural X-62 Research Symposium, Edwards, August 2026, 80+ attendees
Upgrade: Mission Systems Upgrade, funded by the Test Resource Management Center
Upgrade partners: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Calspan, AFRL, RTX

A Testbed in Demand

The proposals came out of the first X-62 Research Symposium, held at Edwards Air Force Base in August, which drew more than 80 people from industry, academia and the joint force. Fighter aircrew joined the sessions to talk about how much pilots trust machine-learning systems, a question that matters as much as the code.

“This demonstrates, without a doubt, the demand for testbeds like the X-62”

Col. Maryann Karlen — Commandant, US Air Force Test Pilot School, via Defence Industry Europe

The ideas will feed a shared research roadmap for after the jet's ongoing Mission Systems Upgrade. That upgrade will add the RTX PhantomStrike radar, more sensor and computing capacity, and modern network data links, according to an earlier Edwards release.

What the X-62 Has Been Doing

In April 2026, the school ran two campaigns in parallel. HAVE HEAT used Lockheed Martin's Legion infrared search-and-track pod to let AI agents read live sensor data and steer the X-62 to intercept an airborne target on their own. HAVE HOLIDAYS was a cluster of smaller tests aimed at speeding up how new hardware and software get onto the jet.

X-62 VISTA in flight over Edwards Air Force Base — The X-62 VISTA over Edwards Air Force Base in 2023. U.S. Air Force photo / public domain

According to Defence Industry Europe, those sub-tests included HAVE BALLDROP, which integrated a third-party autonomous agent from AFRL's xFACTOR programme; HAVE THANKS, which flew the BirdBox assisted target recognition framework; HAVE DREIDEL, which tested 3Laws Robotics runtime assurance software meant to keep autonomy inside user-set limits; and HAVE SANTA, which put IBM's NorthPole neuromorphic chip in the air.

Why It Matters

The Air Force is buying autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft and planning an autonomous Reaper successor. Before any of that software flies in an uncrewed jet, it has to be tested somewhere with a human who can take over. The X-62 is that aircraft, and on this evidence more organisations want time on it than it can fit in.

Dark Skies on the history of the VISTA, from variable-stability F-16 to the X-62 AI testbed.

Sources: 412th Test Wing via Defence Blog and Defence Industry Europe; Edwards Air Force Base public affairs; Dark Skies

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the X-62 VISTA?

The X-62 VISTA (Variable In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft) is a heavily modified two-seat F-16D operated by the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. It can mimic other aircraft's handling and host AI flight software with safety pilots on board.

How many test proposals did the X-62 VISTA receive?

The US Air Force said in October 2026 that researchers proposed more than 30 flight-test concepts for the X-62 VISTA in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, against an initial goal of three.

What was HAVE HEAT on the X-62?

HAVE HEAT was an April 2026 test campaign in which AI agents on the X-62 VISTA used live data from Lockheed Martin's Legion infrared search-and-track pod to steer the aircraft and autonomously intercept an airborne target.

Did the X-62 VISTA dogfight a human pilot?

Yes. In 2023, under DARPA's Air Combat Evolution programme, the X-62 VISTA flew within-visual-range dogfights against a crewed F-16 with AI agents in control and safety pilots on board.

What upgrades is the X-62 VISTA getting?

The X-62 is undergoing a Mission Systems Upgrade funded by the Test Resource Management Center, adding the RTX PhantomStrike radar, more sensor and computing capacity, and modern network data links.