General Wickert described Edwards Air Force Base as a testing ecosystem that combines legacy programs and rapid, experimental prototyping.

"We're at a, I know we'll get into it historically high ops tempo at Edwards Air Force Base right now as pretty much the Air Force is modernizing every single weapon system. That means everything is going through test at the same time," he said.

Wickert said Edwards is testing AI agents on flight platforms such as the X-62 VISTA (a modified F-16), and that the base has built procedures to evaluate AI agents in real aircraft as a bridge between virtual training and live flight. He described autonomous, initial test flights planned for collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) prototypes later in the calendar year and named early demonstrators (YFQ-42 alpha and YFQ-44 alpha).

"We are actually actively testing right now. We are evaluating AI agents ... we have a platform that has an outer loop for, you know, safety. And there's a safety pilot in it, but we can actually put an AI agent in there and have it fly basic dog fighting maneuvers," Wickert said.

He also noted Edwards' effort to open access for nontraditional defense vendors, pointing to Joby Aviation's presence on North Base and to a ribbon-cutting on Pi Day (March 14) for a new experimental test force designed to speed prototyping.

Range modernization and joint operations were discussed as well: Wickert said Edwards is working to integrate ranges and connect sea ranges off Point Mugu with the R-2508 special-use airspace complex to support tests that span larger geographic areas.

The commander framed the work as part of a broader strategy to retain technological advantage. He cited decades of aviation development at Edwards — from early jet experiments and the X-15 era to present-day stealth and autonomous testing — as the historical arc that supports current rapid innovation.

The interview underscored two testing priorities: (1) developing methods and procedures to evaluate AI and autonomy safely in flight and (2) building partnerships that let smaller or nontraditional firms access test infrastructure quickly.