The Air Force announced that two unmanned fighter jets will be ready this summer.
A news release on the matter said the fighter jets will be “crucial in securing air superiority for the Joint Force in future conflicts” and are “designed to leverage autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments.”
The release added that the efforts solidify the U.S. Air Force’s “position at the forefront of airpower innovation.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin announced the fighter jets during the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, saying, “Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft. They were only on paper less than a couple of years ago, and they are going to be ready to fly this summer.”
“For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A,” he added. “It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare. It means collaborative combat aircraft, it means human-machine teaming. We are developing those capabilities thinking, ‘mission first.’”
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) said that it “welcomes” the fighter jet designation for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
“We’re proud to get a new official aircraft designation,” GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said. “YFQ-42A continues a long and distinguished history for GA-ASI that dates back to the 1990s and the debut of the RQ-1 Predator, which later changed to MQ-1 Predator. That uncrewed aircraft gave way to the MQ-9A Reaper, the MQ-20 Avenger, our new MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian, and many others.”
Alexander added that the aircraft represent an “unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower.”
