In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft
The first flight of the Air Force’s YFQ-44 collaborative combat aircraft, which is being developed by Anduril Industries, will likely be delayed because of the ongoing government shutdown, the company’s founder said.
Winning future wars will require air dominance achieved through a blend of stealth, numbers, spectrum warfare, and an ability to swiftly adapt, Air Force and industry experts said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
Anduril Industries will fly its YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone for the first time soon, and that flight will be semi-autonomous, officials said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference.
RTX's Pratt and Whitney is developing a new class of engines to power everything from loitering munitions and cruise missiles to Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The new “scalable” family of engines has not been named yet.
Lockheed Martin has revealed its “Vectis” autonomous combat aircraft, an unsolicited proposal for a “customizable” escort drone to fly with fifth-generation fighters and carry out a variety of missions.
The Air Force announced the first flight of General Atomics’ YFQ-42A on Aug. 27, a major milestone in the service’s effort to build semi-autonomous drones that can fly alongside manned fighter jets.
The two Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototypes are expected to fly very soon, as Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems conclude ground tests. The two aircraft will fly from commercial airports in the desert areas north of Los Angeles, California, not far from Edwards Air ...
The U.S. Air Force recently took a significant step in its push to integrate crewed fighters with semi-autonomous drones, the service says. Pilots of an Air Force F-16C and an F-15E each controlled two XQ-58A Valkyrie drones in an “air combat training scenario,” the Air Force ...
The House Appropriations Committee wants the Air Force to be more open about how it manages its multibillion-dollar weapons acquisition programs to ensure they are fully funded and ready for the next fight.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first trip to Capitol Hill to argue for next year’s Pentagon budget shed new light on funding for some of the Air Force’s top-priority acquisition programs, even as the department continues to hide its 2026 request from view.
The Air Force on June 5 stood up a new unit to figure out how to use drone wingmen, known as "Collaborative Combat Aircraft," in future air wars.