US Air Force awards production contract to General Atomics for new unmanned fighter

The U.S. Air Force has granted General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) a production contract for the FQ‑42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the service’s first purpose‑built uncrewed fighter. The initial order marks the start of series production and delivery of the aircraft to warfighters.

GA‑ASI President David R. Alexander said, "This is an exciting day for our company and the nation," adding that the rapid move from contract award to first flight in 15 months is “one of the fastest rollouts of a new fighter in history.” The FQ‑42A features a modular airframe that can be quickly reconfigured for missions such as long‑duration surveillance, air‑to‑air superiority, and air‑to‑ground strike, and its software architecture supports human‑machine teaming in complex combat scenarios.

The contract follows GA‑ASI’s 2024 selection to build production‑representative test aircraft and the successful maiden flight of the YFQ‑42A prototype in August 2025, which validated the rapid, low‑cost development approach pioneered with the Air Force Research Laboratory.