The Air Force plans to select vendors by the end of 2026 to help develop concepts for cheap, attritable drones that could perform the MQ-9 Reaper mission—providing persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as strike capabilities—in a new way.
General Atomics
The Air Force’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft may fly scores of missions over many years or only a few if commanders decide a mission is worth the risk of losing one, a top official said this week—a middle ground approach he called “optionally attritable.”
General Atomics plans to pitch a brand new design for a low-cost, attritable drone to take on missions now carried out by its MQ-9 Reaper.
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 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 has selected both General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Anduril Industries to build its first fleet of semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, based on their YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A drones, respectively.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach recently called the MQ-9 Reaper the “most valuable player” of Operation Epic Fury. Now the Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Air Force to build up its Reaper fleet.
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.
U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones have been the standout platform in Operation Epic Fury against Iran, Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said May 20.
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.
The Air Force and General Atomics have successfully test-fired laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System rockets using an MQ-9A Reaper drone.