The US Air Force has entered a significant new phase in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program by officially designating its prototypes as fighter drones for the first time in history. The prototypes developed by competing contractors General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Anduril have been designated as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, respectively.
These designations follow the US military’s Mission Design Series, where the “Y” denotes the prototype status of the aircraft, followed by “F” for fighter, and “Q” for unmanned aircraft, with each number representing the specific design of the fighter drone. The “A” at the end indicates that these are the first versions within this series.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin emphasized the importance of this milestone, commenting, “For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A. It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare. It means collaborative combat aircraft, it means human-machine teaming. We are developing those capabilities thinking, ‘mission first.’”
GA-ASI’s President David R. Alexander also lauded the achievement, referencing the plane’s historical significance: “This aircraft represents an unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower.”
The CCA program aims to develop advanced uncrewed aircraft intended to collaborate with crewed fighters, acting as “loyal wingmen.” This initiative is vital for the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance strategy, which seeks to advance technological capabilities amid heightened security concerns, particularly with China also developing its own loyal wingman drone.
The future aircraft is designed to operate autonomously or in groups, with capabilities for various missions, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground engagement, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. These aircraft will be powered by jet engines and utilize cutting-edge artificial intelligence software.
Initially, five companies, including Lockheed Martin, competed to create designs for the CCA program, but contracts were ultimately awarded to GA-ASI and Anduril. Under Increment 1, GA-ASI based its design on the experimental XQ-67A platform, prioritizing endurance over speed and maneuverability. In contrast, Anduril proposed its “Fury” multi-mission Group 5 aerial system.
Both contractors successfully completed critical design reviews of their proposed solutions in November 2024, with prototypes set to undergo additional testing and evaluation as the Air Force continues to explore the capabilities of unmanned aerial systems in modern warfare.
