American Anduril starts testing YFQ-44A unmanned fighters

The US Air Force has begun ground testing of the first model of Anduril's YFQ-44A semi-autonomous unmanned combat aircraft, known as the CCA.

Here's What We Know

Air Force Chief of Staff General Dave Alvin announced the start of ground testing on social media platform X, posting a video of the drone in a hangar. According to him, this is an important step towards the first flight and the rapid commissioning of the new type of aircraft. Anduril has also confirmed that the YFQ-44A, formerly known as the Fury, will be part of a new approach to air combat.

The CCA (Collaborative Combat Aircraft) drones are being developed as combat partners for the F-35 and future F-47 fighters. They will be able to operate autonomously with minimal pilot intervention, carry out strikes, gather intelligence, carry electronic warfare or act as decoys to distract enemy systems. Their production should be mass-produced and cheaper than traditional manned aircraft.

The US Air Force has already identified Beall Air Force Base in California as the first permanent location for a CCA combat unit. The military emphasises that maintaining the combat readiness of the new drones will require significantly fewer resources - they do not require daily flights like manned aircraft and will be serviced by fewer specialists.

In April 2024, Anduril and General Atomics were selected for the first phase of the CCA programme. Ground testing by General Atomics has not yet begun, but the company plans to conduct the first flights of the YFQ-42 in the coming months.

In parallel with the testing of the current models, the Air Force will decide in 2026 which version of the CCA will be put into mass production. At the same time, it is planned to start developing the second "increment" - an updated generation of CCAs with wider functionality and the latest technologies.

Source: Defence News