[REVISION HISTORY]

US Air Force CCA program enters production and testing

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2026-10-23 17:55 UTC → 2026-10-24 17:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The U.S. Air Force has officially named its first two Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) models: the FQ-42 Vengeance, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and the FQ-44 Fury, developed by Anduril Industries. These semi-autonomous unmanned aircraft are designed to support manned fighter jets by enhancing range, survivability, and situational awareness, with an initial focus on air-to-air missions. The Air Force intends to procure approximately 1,000 CCAs, aiming for at least 500 in service by 2032. The program utilizes a modular procurement approach that separates airframe acquisition from mission autonomy software. The U.S. Air Force has now entered the production phase for the program, aiming to deploy an initial 150 unmanned platforms. In September 2026, General Atomics delivered an FQ-42 Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. To support production scaling, General Atomics partnered with Spirit ~~Defense~~ Defense, a Boeing Company subsidiary, to assist with fuselage design and manufacturing. This collaboration is intended to increase manufacturing capacity and industrial depth, allowing for faster scaling of CCA production while reducing the risk of single points of failure. In October 2026, the program reached a major milestone during flight tests conducted by Anduril over California. An F-22 Raptor pilot successfully demonstrated the ability to command an autonomous YFQ-44A Fury drone during a simulated mission. In this test, the pilot acted as an airborne ‘quarterback,’ issuing high-level tactical directives via a secure tactical data link rather than controlling individual flight parameters. The drone’s onboard autonomy software interpreted these commands to execute real-time maneuvers and combat ~~tasks, such as monitoring specific zones or engaging targets.~~ tasks. Looking ahead, the Air Force plans to debut the drones in a large-scale combat exercise, Emerald Flag, at Eglin Air Force Base in December 2026. ~~This will feature a live, end-to-end demonstration of the CCA kill chain within an offensive counter-air scenario.~~

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