In the Boeing camp, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) quickly released a statement following the EADS North America announcement Tuesday confirming news that it would enter the KC-X tanker contest. Murray said she would “continue to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to make clear to the Pentagon and the White House that this is the wrong move for our service members and our workers.” She emphasized that the World Trade Organization had ruled that the Airbus A330 had been developed using illegal subsidies and that holding up the USAF tanker competition “to allow an illegally subsidized foreign company to bid is bade for American workers, our men and women in uniform, taxpayers, and our economy.” She added: “A competition between companies on an equal playing field is one thing. A competition where American workers have to compete with the treasuries of European countries is another.”
CCA’s AI Pilots Step into the Spotlight
March 9, 2026
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 program.