Test crews at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, previously dropped bombs from an F-15EX, but this is the first time an operational squadron has done so.
Piloted flights and autonomy tests began recently for modified F-16s that allows artificial intelligence agents to fly the aircraft.
"Let the AI do it," a former Air Force secretary said this week, pitting machines against human operators.
Capt. Nathanial “Icarus” Welch received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for his actions during a 2025 Operation Rough Rider mission.
