The Air Force wants about $1 billion to move Collaborative Combat Aircraft into production in fiscal 2027 and accelerate the introduction of this game-changing technology. Congress should support that objective.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft
An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter teamed up with a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger drone in a recent test to refine the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft concept, the company said in a May 27 statement.
The YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft has resumed flight testing after a six-week pause initiated when one of the drones crashed in early April.
A combined Navy and Air Force program is seeking to build a smaller version of a ubiquitous air-to-air missile that could give advanced aircraft, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, greater magazine depth in a high-end fight.
The Netherlands has agreed to fund the purchase of two of the first Collaborative Combat Aircraft being developed for the U.S. Air Force, under a "landmark" international partnership inked before the semi-autonomous drones are even fully developed.
The Air Force put its semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the hands of operators, not just engineers or test pilots, for a groundbreaking exercise last week.
The Air Force is asking for nearly $1 billion in fiscal 2027 to start buying Collaborative Combat Aircraft in earnest, as a production decision on which semi-autonomous drones to buy looms.
The Air Force’s nascent Collaborative Combat Aircraft program is beating former Secretary Frank Kendall’s goal of producing drone wingmen at about one-third the cost of an F-35, an official leading the effort said March 25.
Anduril Industries has begun production of its YFQ-44A “Fury” Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone at its Arsenal-1 plant outside of Columbus, Ohio.
As the Air Force races to develop and field new semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service is also rethinking its production plan for CCAs—how many and how quickly—to replace the notional figures set several years ago.
The Air Force’s propulsion directorate wants to rapidly develop and field new propulsion technologies in the coming years, and plans to use a new, $16 billion contract vehicle to do so, according to a March 13 notice.
Just one year ago, Collaborative Combat Aircraft took center stage as then-Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin designated the two competing jets prototypes as the first unmanned fighters in Air Force history: General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A. Twelve months later, it’s the autonomy software that’s flying those aircraft garnering the attention. Autonomy software, more than hardware, may prove the most valuable and enduring element of the CCA ...