The Department of the Air Force has begun ground testing for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, marking a major milestone in its effort to integrate autonomous systems into the future force.This ground test phase includes rigorous evaluations of the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A production representative test vehicles developed by General Atomics and Anduril, respectivelyfocusing on propulsion systems, avionics, autonomy integrationand ground control interfaces.
These assessments will validate performance, inform future design decisionsand prepare the systems for flight testing later this year.Starting ground tests is a key milestone for the CCA Increment 1 program, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen.
David W.
Allvin.
This phase bridges the gap between design and flight, reducing integration risks, boosting confidenceand laying the groundwork for a successful first flight and eventual fielding to the warfighter.The CCA program is vital to the Air Forces broader shift towards scalable force packages and human-machine teaming.
Designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft, CCA will extend operational reach, enhance survivabilityand increase lethality in contested environments.
As force multipliers, they will support rapid deployment and affordable mass delivering combat power at a fraction of the cost of traditional fighters.Were moving fast because the warfighter needs this capability, Allvin said.
CCA is about delivering decisive advantage in highly contested environments.
The program is accelerating fielding through innovative design and acquisition strategies and both vendors are meeting or exceeding key milestones.
These aircraft will help us turn readiness into operational dominance.Demonstrating further progress toward operationalizing CCA capabilities, the DAF has selected Beale Air Force Base, California, as the preferred location to host a CCA Aircraft Readiness Unit.
The mission of the ARU is to provide combat aircraft ready to deploy worldwide at a moments notice.
CCA are semi-autonomous in nature so the ARU will not have to fly a significant number of daily sorties to maintain readiness.
The aircraft will be maintained in a fly-ready status and flown minimally so the number of airmen required to support the fleet will be substantially lower than other weapons systems.The CCA program prioritizes speed, flexibilityand cost-effectiveness.
By leveraging open architectures and commercial technologies, it allows for rapid integration, iterative upgradesand scalable production.
A competitive Increment 1 production decision is expected in fiscal year 2026, with development for Increment 2 beginning that same year to expand mission applications and integrate emerging technologies.The pace of innovation must outmatch the pace of the threat, Allvin said.
CCA is how we do that.Jason Levin, Andurils senior vice president for air dominance and strike, noted that readiness for ground testing of the prototype aircraft came just one year after Anduril was chosen to produce production-representative prototypes for the CCA program.The milestone highlights the programs aggressive commitment to schedule.
The YFQ-44A passed its critical design review in November, 2024 and received its nomenclature in March.We are on schedule to fly YFQ-44A this summer, he said.Anduril and the Air Force are pioneering a new generation of semi-autonomous fighter aircraft that will fundamentally transform air combat, Levin said.
The YQ-44A delivers highly capable, mass-producible, and more affordable fighter capability at the speed and scale required to stay ahead of the threat.A YFQ-44A production representative test vehicle is staged in a testing chamber at Costa Mesa, Calif.
The Department of the Air Forces has begun ground testing for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program to validate performance and readiness for future flight testingDelivering the first aircraft at unprecedented speed will ensure that the pilots developing tactics for the new aircraft have ample opportunity to experiment and build the trust required to support operational fielding of CCAs before the end of the decade, Levin said.These first CCA aircraft are intended for a purely air-to-air mission: to carry additional missiles for the F-22 and F-35, which have a limited number of shots because they must carry missiles internally to remain stealthy.
Pilots of the two frontline fighters have for years asked the Air Force to find a way to expand the number of weapons they can shoot per sortie.
The CCA has emerged as at least one solution.The CCA program is intended to provide the Air Force with affordable mass, dramatically expanding the number of aircraft and missiles the combat fleet can put in the air, and compelling an adversary to treat each one as a fully-capable threat aircraft.
The idea is to overwhelm and confuse a defender as aircraft approach on multiple axes of attack.Both the Anduril Fury and the as-yet unnamed General Atomics CCA take off and land conventionally on a runway.
The Air Force has experimented with other autonomous craft, however, that launch from a vehicle on the ground and are either recovered vertically or are caught in a net.Top Photo: AYFQ-44A production representative test vehicle is staged in a testing chamber at Costa Mesa, Calif.
The YFQ-44A, developed by Anduril, is one of two production representative test vehicles which will be critical in securing air dominance for the Joint Force in future conflicts, leveraging autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments.Sources: US Air Force; Air - Space Forces