The Air Force wants to rapidly replace about two dozen MQ-9A Reaper drones lost during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, top service officials told lawmakers May 12.
General Atomics
The Air Force and General Atomics have successfully test-fired laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets using an MQ-9A Reaper drone.
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.
CCA’s AI Pilots Step into the Spotlight By Greg Hadley AURORA, Colo. Just one year ago, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) took center stage as then-Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin designated the two competing jet prototypes as the first...
One of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ prototype Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones crashed shortly after takeoff April 6, and the company has paused its test flights while it investigates the incident.
When Air Combat Command began developing a simplified aircraft readiness metric two years ago, the aim was to turn voluminous data points into a single number that could enable commands at every echelon to know exactly how many planes they could get off the ground ...
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.
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 ...
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 has a new X-plane: The X-68A LongShot from General Atomics is an air-launched drone intended to carry additional air-to-air munitions. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been developing LongShot since 2021, and announced on Feb. 17 that flight testing could begin “as early as the end of 2026.”
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.