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US Air Force CCA and AI autonomy program updates

Updated 4 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-07 15:53 UTC → 2026-08-09 12:52 UTC · added removed

US Air Force AI‑enabled aircraft CCA and AI autonomy program updates

In July 2026 2026, the Air Force demonstrated AI‑driven AI-driven autonomy on modified F‑16s, F-16s, culminating in the first fully autonomous flight of a VENOM‑equipped VENOM-equipped aircraft. The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort then moved into production. On 17 June 2026 2026, the service awarded a production contract to General Atomics for the FQ‑42A FQ-42A “Dark Merlin,” marking the start of series production of the Air Force’s first purpose‑built purpose-built uncrewed fighter. The next day day, contracts were also signed with Anduril for the FQ‑44 FQ-44 “Fury,” accelerating the CCA program to low‑rate low-rate production ahead of schedule. The Air Force budget requests $1.1 billion for CCA production and $1.4 billion for R&D, targeting 150‑plus combat‑capable wingmen by 2029 and a long‑term fleet of up to 1,000 units. A parallel software competition selected six firms—including Anduril, Collins Aerospace and Shield AI—to develop open‑architecture autonomy under the Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, with a primary supplier expected by mid‑2027. In By late July 2026 Anduril’s YFQ‑44A “Fury” performed the first live‑fire test, launching an AIM‑120 missile autonomously at a digital target while a human operator retained the release authority. The same month 2026, Anduril moved rolled out the FQ‑44 into serial production YFQ-44A “Fury” at the Arsenal‑1 facility, its Arsenal-1 facility in Pickaway County, Ohio. This $910.5 million facility is capable of delivering producing up to 150 aircraft per year. DARPA year and is expected to create 4,000 jobs by 2035. Simultaneously, General Atomics began large-scale production of the Air Force continued FQ-42A, despite a temporary suspension in testing following a prototype accident caused by flight-control software issues. The CCA program aims to field semi-autonomous wingmen to complement crewed fighters like the F-35 and B-21. Parallel AI integration continues on legacy fighters: an AI‑piloted F‑16 equipped with the VENOM Autonomy Kit platforms. The Air Force Test Pilot School completed its first autonomous flight on 24 July 2026, followed by a series of tests that included 27 live intercepts against a T‑38 target in early August. New details released in August describe an eight‑sortie campaign two flight-test programs on the X‑62 X-62 VISTA platform at Edwards AFB, where in April 2026. The “HAVE HEAT” program successfully utilized an AI agent using a Legion pod and IRST21 sensor closed the sensor‑to‑action loop an IRST pod to achieve 27 autonomous intercepts. intercepts of a T-38 trainer. A second effort, “HAVE HOLIDAYS,” evaluated safety protocols for integrating third-party autonomous agents into the aircraft’s Open Mission System.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-09 12:52 UTC US Air Force CCA and AI autonomy program updates
  2. 2026-08-07 15:53 UTC US Air Force AI‑enabled aircraft program
  3. 2026-08-04 16:16 UTC US Air Force AI‑enabled aircraft program
  4. 2026-08-01 12:43 UTC US Air Force AI‑enabled aircraft program
  5. 2026-07-31 16:07 UTC US Air Force AI‑enabled aircraft program

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