The United States Air Force has entered a major phase in its “cooperative combat aircraft” (CCA) program, which is expected to revolutionize the future of air combat. The first semi-autonomous drone wingman, built by Anduril, has begun ground testing ahead of its maiden flight in a few months.
Good News from General Allvin
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Allvin announced the significant development in a post on social media platform X on Thursday morning. The post included a video of the YFQ-44A model, previously known as “Fury” by Anduril Industries, being dramatically rolled out of the hangar. Allvin called the moment “a major milestone,” adding, “This is another step toward first flight and rapid delivery of [CCAs] to our warfighters. These unmanned fighters are going to be so cool!”
First Flight Target from Anduril
Anduril also confirmed that ground testing of the YFQ-44A has begun and expects to begin initial flight trials this summer. Jason Levin, Anduril’s senior vice president of air superiority and strike, said that in collaboration with the Air Force, they are “pioneering the next generation of semi-autonomous fighter jets that will fundamentally change air combat.” Levin added that the YFQ-44A “delivers a highly capable, mass-producible and affordable fighter jet capability at the speed and scale required to stay ahead of the threat.”
Readiness Unit Established at Beale Air Force Base
The Air Force also announced plans to establish the first aircraft readiness unit for CCAs at Beale Air Force Base in California. The unit will be responsible for “providing combat aircraft ready for immediate deployment worldwide,” the service said in a statement. The move is seen as a key infrastructure effort to rapidly transition CCAs to operational use.
Anduril and General Atomics Compete in CCA Program
The Air Force selected Anduril and General Atomics to design, build and test the first prototypes of the CCAs, which will fly alongside crewed aircraft such as the F-2024 and the future F-35, expected to be called the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter jet, in April 47. The CCAs would fly themselves using autonomous software with minimal guidance from accompanying pilots and could perform a variety of missions, including air strikes, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, electronic warfare or acting as decoys to draw away enemy crewed aircraft. The Air Force envisions having a fleet of about 1.000 CCAs, and the drones would be less costly than traditional fighter jets, aiming to expand the service’s operational capacity at a time when the number of pilots and advanced fighter jets is limited.
“Building to Adapt” is the New Mantra
In another post on social media, General Allvin said the Air Force’s CCA strategy heralds a “new acquisition path” focused on rapidly iterating on new designs rather than sustaining existing models for decades. “Our new mantra needs to be ‘build to adapt’ rather than ‘build to last,’” Allvin said, emphasizing the importance of an approach that can keep pace with rapid technological evolution. These comments support statements Allvin made in June 2024, when he said the Air Force wanted to keep CCA missions simple and low-cost so they could be fielded in large numbers and replaced by new models after about a decade. Allvin also suggested that CCAs could be modular and heavily adaptable with new technologies to remain relevant.
General Atomics is also Preparing
Ground tests of General Atomics’ collaborative fighter jet, called the YFQ-42A, have not yet begun. “We continue our plan to test and fly the YFQ-42 in the coming months,” the company said in a statement. Both companies are expected to enter a competitive evaluation process in the future.
“The Gap Between Design and Flight is Closing”
In the Air Force statement, Gen. Allvin said the start of ground testing for the Anduril CCA “closes the design-to-flight gap” and reduces the risk associated with integrating a new system. He also said both Anduril and General Atomics have met or exceeded key milestones, and innovative design and acquisition strategies are accelerating the process of fielding the CCAs. “We are moving quickly because the warfighter needs this capability,” Allvin said. “The CCA is about providing a decisive advantage in highly contested environments. … These aircraft will help us translate readiness into operational dominance.”
Maintenance and Preparation Advantages
The Air Force emphasized that a key advantage of pilotless CCAs is that they won’t need to be flown every day to ensure pilot readiness. That means the readiness unit planned for Beale can keep the CCAs “ready to fly” and fly them minimally, requiring “significantly fewer” support aircrews, such as maintainers, than other aircraft require, the service said.
Production Decision in 2026
The Air Force plans to make a final decision on which of two CCA versions—Anduril and General Atomics—will go into production in fiscal 2026. Also that year, the service expects to begin development of a second so-called “increment” of CCAs that it hopes will have a broader range of missions and integrate the latest technology. This aggressive timeline demonstrates the Air Force’s commitment to getting this next-generation unmanned warfighter operational as soon as possible.
