The Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit have selected seven companies to move forward on a program meant to produce a low-cost, semi-autonomous drone to succeed the MQ-9A Reaper, multiple sources confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Anduril
The Air Force’s emerging Collaborative Combat Aircraft program would suffer delays if Congress fails to pass a budget before the end of this calendar year, a top service official said Sept. 28.
The Anduril-built Barracuda cruise missile recently received certification as the Air Force’s first large-scale production munition compliant with open systems architecture.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. and Anduril Industries both say they’re ready to produce Collaborative Combat Aircraft at a rapid clip and even expand that production, as they wait for a fiscal 2027 budget to fund that work.
The Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft will take part in their first large-force engagement exercise in December, the head of the drones’ Experimental Operations Unit said Sept. 15.
Startups Anduril Industries and Heremus have agreed to integrate Anduril’s autonomy software onto Hermeus’ hypersonic demonstrator aircraft “Quarterhorse”—uniting two technologies that have drawn keen interest and investment from the Air Force.
New Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles By Greg Hadley The Pentagon’s top research lab is interested in developing a hypersonic cruise missile prototype that provides “a revolutionary leap in operational performance,” as the first wave of U.S. hypersonic weapons enters production...
The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit hosted a change of command ceremony recently, another sign of how the CCA concept is maturing and becoming entrenched in the Air Force’s structure, to the point where exercises have generated multiple sorties in a single day to simulate ...
One of the Air Force’s developmental Collaborative Combat Aircraft fired a live missile in a recent test, marking a critical step forward in the development of the service’s fleet of semi-autonomous drone fighters.
The Pentagon announced framework agreements for new multiyear deals with three companies to mass-produce more affordable, less exquisite air-to-ground missiles for the Air Force, part of a larger strategy to bring cheaper firepower to a future fight.
The Air Force’s “software sold separately” plan to buy critical autonomy software decoupled from the physical air vehicle for its nascent Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet could help the drones evolve quickly, foster competition, and avoid vendor lock-in, experts and service officials told Air & Space ...
The Air Force is quietly wrapping up a round of market research on arming its tanker fleet with weapons capable of shooting down incoming enemy threats. The service awarded contracts to four firms beginning in February to study options for equipping refuelers such as the ...