General Atomics’ YFQ-42A ‘fighter drone’ prototype is now flying. The YFQ-42A is one of two designs currently in development under the first phase, or Increment 1, of the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the other being Anduril’s YFQ-44A.
The Air Force and General Atomics’ Aeronautical Systems Inc. division (GA-ASI) announced the milestone today, but it is not immediately clear when exactly the maiden flight occurred. The Air Force announced that the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A had both begun ground testing ahead of their first flights back in May.
“This milestone showcases what’s possible when innovative acquisition meets motivated industry,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in a statement. “In record time, CCA went from concept to flight — proving we can deliver combat capability at speed when we clear barriers and align around the warfighter.”
“The CCA went from concept to flight in just 16 months after the contract was awarded – proving that we can deliver combat capability at speed!” according to a post from Meink’s official account on X.
“What a great moment for the U.S. Air Force and for GA-ASI,” GA-ASI’s President David R. Alexander said in a separate statement. “It’s been our collaboration that enabled us to build and fly the YFQ-42A in just over a year. It’s an incredible achievement and I salute the Air Force for its vision and I salute our development team for delivering yet another historic first for our company.”
The Air Force announced that it had picked General Atomics and Anduril to build actual prototypes of their Increment 1 CCA designs in April 2024. General Atomics subsequently confirmed that its YFQ-42A was derived from the experimental XQ-67A drone originally developed for the Air Force’s once-secretive Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) program. The Air Force has also previously described the OBSS effort as a major ‘feeder’ into the CCA program, as you can read more about here.
In its own statement today, Anduril said that flight testing of the YFQ-44A is set to begin soon.
“Flight test is one of those milestones that you just can’t help but get excited about, no matter where you sit. Congratulations to General Atomics and the U.S. Air Force for kicking off flight testing for YFQ-42A – a major milestone on the path to fielding Increment 1 CCAs by the end of the decade,” Dr. Jason Levin, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Air Dominance, and Strike at Anduril, also said.
The Air Force says the plan remains to make a “competitive Increment 1 production decision” sometime in Fiscal Year 2026, which begins on October 1 of this year. It remains to be seen whether the service will decide to acquire production versions of the YFQ-42A, the YFQ-44A, or a mixture of both.
Air Force officials have also previously said that between 100 and 150 drones will be ordered under Increment 1. The service is still looking to acquire 1,000 CCAs, or more, across multiple iterative development cycles that could lead to very different designs. Air Force officials regularly describe the CCA program, overall, as a critical and transformative element of its future force structure plans that will be essential to succeed in future conflicts, especially a high-end fight, such as one in the Pacific against China.
“This is More Air Force in action,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said in a statement around today’s announcement about the YFQ-42A’s first flight. “We’re not just moving fast – we’re learning fast. CCA will help us rethink the battlespace, extend reach, flexibility, and lethality in combat operations, and optimize warfighter performance through human-machine teaming.”
Still, there are many hurdles to overcome before seeing the CCA vision become the game-changer the USAF hopes it do be, but with the YFQ-42A now flying, the Air Force is one step closer to making it a reality.
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