Breaking News: US Air Force conducts first flight of YFQ-42A fighter drone to expand F-35 and F-22 strike capabilities
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On August 27, 2025, the US Air Force announced that the General Atomics YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototype completed its first flight from a test location in California. The event marked less than two years from the program’s launch and about sixteen months from contract award to maiden sortie. The flight contributed to assessments of airworthiness, autonomy, and mission system integration. The program is intended to develop uncrewed fighters that will operate with current fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35, as well as with the planned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform. The CCA program is described as a critical part of the NGAD Family of Systems and represents a shift toward iterative acquisition timelines intended to reduce costs and accelerate deployment.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The YFQ-42A is part of General Atomics’ Gambit family and is derived from the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, with configuration changes intended for higher performance and integrated weapons carriage. (Picture source: US Air Force)
The YFQ-42A originates from General Atomics’ Gambit family of designs and is derived from the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator. It incorporates structural and aerodynamic changes for greater speed and maneuverability, including an elongated fuselage, slender wings, a dorsal-mounted engine inlet, a V-tail configuration, and an internal bay intended to carry two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. General Atomics previously confirmed the design reflects attempts to balance affordability, reduced radar cross section, and sufficient fighter-like agility. The YFQ-42A is classified as a production-representative prototype, with “Y” indicating this pre-production status, “F” standing for fighter, “Q” identifying the aircraft as uncrewed, “42” is the sequential design number assigned within this category, and “A” meaning that this is the first version or series of this design. So, YFQ-42A literally means: “Prototype, Fighter, Unmanned aircraft, Design number 42, Series A.” The autonomy core for the system has been previoulsy tested extensively on the MQ-20 Avenger, giving the platform a basis for semi-autonomous operations.
The initial flight follows a test campaign that began with ground evaluations in May 2025, after formal designation of both the YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A on March 3, 2025. The Air Force selected both firms in April 2024 to build prototypes after downselecting from five vendors. By November 2024, both designs had passed their Critical Design Reviews, with assembly beginning shortly thereafter. The test effort now includes vendor-led trials, independent evaluations at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and operational assessments with the Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Beale Air Force Base has been identified as the preferred location for the first Aircraft Readiness Unit, intended to sustain CCA fleets in support of Agile Combat Employment concepts. These concepts require aircraft able to deploy to austere or degraded fields with limited infrastructure.
General Atomics emphasizes its industrial capacity as a key factor in the program. The company’s Poway, California, facility spans 5 million square feet and produces more than 100 aircraft annually. The firm states that it has delivered over 1,200 uncrewed systems and logged nearly nine million total flight hours across its aircraft, with more than 50 of them airborne worldwide at any given moment. These figures are used to illustrate its readiness for the scaled production of YFQ-42A aircraft to meet the Air Force’s requirement for more than 1,000 CCAs. Officials have noted that Increment 1 could involve 100 to 150 aircraft, with future increments providing further variants. While the platforms are not considered expendable, their lower projected cost of around, $25–30 million per unit compared to manned fighters makes them more tolerable to risk in contested environments.
The Anduril YFQ-44A, which is the other Increment 1 design, is based on the Fury platform developed by Blue Force Technologies. It features trapezoidal wings, a chin-mounted inlet, a cruciform tail, and external weapon hardpoints. Reports describe it as 6.1 meters long, with a wingspan of 5.2 meters, powered by a Williams FJ44-4M turbofan engine producing 4,000 pounds of thrust, and capable of near-Mach 1 speeds and up to 9 g maneuvers. The U.S. Air Force has stated that both YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes are being built and flown ahead of a fiscal year 2026 production decision. Initial operational capability for the winning platform or combination of both designs is scheduled for 2030. The service expects these aircraft to enhance firepower and flexibility by supplementing the limited internal weapons carriage of stealth fighters and by extending their combat radius.
The CCA initiative is linked to earlier technology demonstrations such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie and the X-62 VISTA program, which tested autonomous flight in combat simulations. It also builds on DARPA’s Off-Board Sensing Station program, which informed the XQ-67A design that underpins the YFQ-42A. The program’s goals include modular design, rapid adaptability, and open-system architectures that can integrate new mission packages as they emerge. The Air Force has projected that CCAs will initially conduct air-to-air missions but could later take on electronic warfare, strike, reconnaissance, and logistics roles. Internationally, other countries, including Australia, China, Japan, India, Türkiye, and the UK, are developing comparable programs, which underscores the global trend toward combining uncrewed aircraft with manned platforms. General Atomics has also announced plans to adapt the YFQ-42A for European customers with support from its German affiliate GA-ATS.
Looking forward, Increment 2 of the CCA program is expected to begin development in fiscal year 2026, potentially focusing on simpler and lower-cost designs that could be produced in larger numbers. Air Force officials have suggested that wargaming indicates higher quantities of less complex platforms may be more effective in Indo-Pacific scenarios than smaller numbers of advanced systems. Legislative oversight has also been engaged, with Congress requesting briefings on propulsion and modular open system architectures, and shifting some NGAD program funds to support CCA development. Overall, the program anticipates building a fleet sized to provide two uncrewed aircraft for every advanced manned fighter. The YFQ-42A’s first flight marks a milestone in that trajectory, signaling the start of a sustained testing campaign that will determine how these systems are integrated into operational planning and force structure.
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On August 27, 2025, the US Air Force announced that the General Atomics YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) prototype completed its first flight from a test location in California. The event marked less than two years from the program’s launch and about sixteen months from contract award to maiden sortie. The flight contributed to assessments of airworthiness, autonomy, and mission system integration. The program is intended to develop uncrewed fighters that will operate with current fifth-generation aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35, as well as with the planned Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform. The CCA program is described as a critical part of the NGAD Family of Systems and represents a shift toward iterative acquisition timelines intended to reduce costs and accelerate deployment.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The YFQ-42A is part of General Atomics’ Gambit family and is derived from the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, with configuration changes intended for higher performance and integrated weapons carriage. (Picture source: US Air Force)
The YFQ-42A originates from General Atomics’ Gambit family of designs and is derived from the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station demonstrator. It incorporates structural and aerodynamic changes for greater speed and maneuverability, including an elongated fuselage, slender wings, a dorsal-mounted engine inlet, a V-tail configuration, and an internal bay intended to carry two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. General Atomics previously confirmed the design reflects attempts to balance affordability, reduced radar cross section, and sufficient fighter-like agility. The YFQ-42A is classified as a production-representative prototype, with “Y” indicating this pre-production status, “F” standing for fighter, “Q” identifying the aircraft as uncrewed, “42” is the sequential design number assigned within this category, and “A” meaning that this is the first version or series of this design. So, YFQ-42A literally means: “Prototype, Fighter, Unmanned aircraft, Design number 42, Series A.” The autonomy core for the system has been previoulsy tested extensively on the MQ-20 Avenger, giving the platform a basis for semi-autonomous operations.
The initial flight follows a test campaign that began with ground evaluations in May 2025, after formal designation of both the YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A on March 3, 2025. The Air Force selected both firms in April 2024 to build prototypes after downselecting from five vendors. By November 2024, both designs had passed their Critical Design Reviews, with assembly beginning shortly thereafter. The test effort now includes vendor-led trials, independent evaluations at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and operational assessments with the Experimental Operations Unit at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Beale Air Force Base has been identified as the preferred location for the first Aircraft Readiness Unit, intended to sustain CCA fleets in support of Agile Combat Employment concepts. These concepts require aircraft able to deploy to austere or degraded fields with limited infrastructure.
General Atomics emphasizes its industrial capacity as a key factor in the program. The company’s Poway, California, facility spans 5 million square feet and produces more than 100 aircraft annually. The firm states that it has delivered over 1,200 uncrewed systems and logged nearly nine million total flight hours across its aircraft, with more than 50 of them airborne worldwide at any given moment. These figures are used to illustrate its readiness for the scaled production of YFQ-42A aircraft to meet the Air Force’s requirement for more than 1,000 CCAs. Officials have noted that Increment 1 could involve 100 to 150 aircraft, with future increments providing further variants. While the platforms are not considered expendable, their lower projected cost of around, $25–30 million per unit compared to manned fighters makes them more tolerable to risk in contested environments.
The Anduril YFQ-44A, which is the other Increment 1 design, is based on the Fury platform developed by Blue Force Technologies. It features trapezoidal wings, a chin-mounted inlet, a cruciform tail, and external weapon hardpoints. Reports describe it as 6.1 meters long, with a wingspan of 5.2 meters, powered by a Williams FJ44-4M turbofan engine producing 4,000 pounds of thrust, and capable of near-Mach 1 speeds and up to 9 g maneuvers. The U.S. Air Force has stated that both YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes are being built and flown ahead of a fiscal year 2026 production decision. Initial operational capability for the winning platform or combination of both designs is scheduled for 2030. The service expects these aircraft to enhance firepower and flexibility by supplementing the limited internal weapons carriage of stealth fighters and by extending their combat radius.
The CCA initiative is linked to earlier technology demonstrations such as the XQ-58A Valkyrie and the X-62 VISTA program, which tested autonomous flight in combat simulations. It also builds on DARPA’s Off-Board Sensing Station program, which informed the XQ-67A design that underpins the YFQ-42A. The program’s goals include modular design, rapid adaptability, and open-system architectures that can integrate new mission packages as they emerge. The Air Force has projected that CCAs will initially conduct air-to-air missions but could later take on electronic warfare, strike, reconnaissance, and logistics roles. Internationally, other countries, including Australia, China, Japan, India, Türkiye, and the UK, are developing comparable programs, which underscores the global trend toward combining uncrewed aircraft with manned platforms. General Atomics has also announced plans to adapt the YFQ-42A for European customers with support from its German affiliate GA-ATS.
Looking forward, Increment 2 of the CCA program is expected to begin development in fiscal year 2026, potentially focusing on simpler and lower-cost designs that could be produced in larger numbers. Air Force officials have suggested that wargaming indicates higher quantities of less complex platforms may be more effective in Indo-Pacific scenarios than smaller numbers of advanced systems. Legislative oversight has also been engaged, with Congress requesting briefings on propulsion and modular open system architectures, and shifting some NGAD program funds to support CCA development. Overall, the program anticipates building a fleet sized to provide two uncrewed aircraft for every advanced manned fighter. The YFQ-42A’s first flight marks a milestone in that trajectory, signaling the start of a sustained testing campaign that will determine how these systems are integrated into operational planning and force structure.
