The Air Force has awarded multimillion contracts to two industry teams to design small prototype engines for the service’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to Feb. 23 announcements.
CCA
AURORA, Colo. — Shield AI takes us inside their new AI-piloted VTOL fighter jet, dubbed the “X-BAT,” at the 2026 Warfare Symposium. The X-BAT will be capable of launching and recovering from ships, remote islands, or austere forward bases while...
The Air Force has put inert weapons on its new uncrewed fighters for the first time and plans to conduct live weapons tests later this year. Those steps come as the service is moving to bring its new drone wingmen into service more rapidly than ...
First, General Atomics dubbed its YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft "Dark Merlin," consistent with the Air Force's tradition of naming attack aircraft after birds of prey. A few hours later, Northrop Grumman announced it is calling its YFQ-48A offering “Talon Blue.”
The Air Force is working with Collins Aerospace and Shield AI to develop the software Collaborative Combat Aircraft will use to fly missions alongside manned fighters, the service revealed Feb. 12—and drone-maker General Atomics was quick to announce it has already flown its YFQ-42A aircraft with Collins’ system.
Trump Promises a $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget What a 50% Spending Boost Might Mean for the Air Force and Space Force. By Courtney Albon President Donald Trump was so impressed with the military’s successful Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela Jan. 3...
Washington and its allies face a bottomless list of tasks, challenges, and uncertainties in every region of the globe. The geopolitical outlook has seldom been so unsettled. The good news is that some answers, at least, already are clear. Nearly...
The Air Force has given Northrop Grumman’s new Project Talon aircraft the official designation of YFQ-48A, the service announced Dec. 22. That makes Northrop's potential competitor for USAF's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program the third CCA to be designated an uncrewed fighter aircraft.
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and ...
There is a new entrant in the highly competitive field of collaborative combat aircraft—semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside manned combat aircraft. Northrop Grumman unveiled its new Project Talon aircraft to a small group of reporters at the facilities of its subsidiary Scaled Composites.
Lt. Gen. Dale White, the military deputy to the Air Force’s acquisition executive, has been nominated for a fourth star and a newly created job overseeing the service’s highest-visibility, highest-risk, and highest-cost programs.
An F-22 pilot controlled an MQ-20 drone from the fighter’s cockpit last month, General Atomics announced Nov. 17—a preview of the Air Force’s vision for Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
