U.S. Air Force to Fly Two Uncrewed Fighter Aircraft Prototypes this Summer

The U.S. Air Force will fly two prototypes of its uncrewed fighter aircraft this summer which is part of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.

The  Air Force announced the designation of two Mission Design Series (MDS) within its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program today: the YFQ-42A (General Atomics) and the YFQ-44A (Anduril).

Representing the first in a new generation of uncrewed fighter aircraft, both will be crucial in securing air superiority for the Joint Force in future conflicts.

These aircraft are designed to leverage autonomous capabilities and crewed-uncrewed teaming to defeat enemy threats in contested environments.

“Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. “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," Allvin 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.”

The MDS designation provides a standardized framework for identifying and classifying these aircraft:

Status Prefix:

-Y- Prototype (The “Y” will be dropped upon entering production, -Basic Mission: F - Fighter, -VehicleType: Q - Unmanned Aircraft, -Design Number: 42 / 44, -Series: A - 1st Version.

The Air Force will continue to work closely with its industry partners to mature the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes through rigorous testing and evaluation.

General Atomics comment:

The Air Force selected YFQ-42A as the Mission Design Series (MDS) for GA-ASI’s CCA prototype, representing the first in a new generation of unmanned fighter aircraft.

The Air Force is developing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms to maintain its air superiority. Semi-autonomous aircraft, like YFQ-42A, will enhance flexibility, affordability, and mission effectiveness. YFQ-42A will enhance air superiority as a flexible, affordable force multiplier. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with current and next-generation crewed aircraft, expanding mission capabilities and ensuring continued air dominance.