Former Spirit AeroSystems defense business will design and manufacture the fuselage for the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Concept could allow aircraft such as the B-21 Raider to engage aerial targets at long range without turning the stealth bomber into a fighter

Company is testing autonomy systems from other developers and pursuing opportunities beyond its own unmanned aircraft

US Air Force demonstration showed a Raptor pilot issuing tactical commands to the autonomous aircraft during simulated combat operations

A recent breakthrough in airborne drone control has offered a tangible glimpse into the future of US air combat, signaling the US Air Force’s accelerating push to integrate autonomous wingmen alongside frontline fighters. This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that a US Air Force F-22 Raptor pilot

The U740 reached Mach 0.8 during tests in Northern Europe, ahead of planned trials with Airbus’ autonomous mission system

Aviation News – Airbus and partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have successfully conducted the maiden European flight of the U740 Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft, marking a crucial step toward deploying autonomous fighter wingmen by 2029. ​The initial test flight took place at a designated facility in Northern Europe following extensive joint development between Airbus and Kratos Defense. Defense officials selected the uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiative to strengthen air defense capabilities across Europe and meet the urgent operational mandates of the German Armed Forces.

Company-funded combat drone is outside the Air Force’s initial CCA production contracts but remains positioned for future competitions

Key takeaways De Amerikaanse luchtmacht heeft officieel haar eerste twee Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) in ontvangst genomen. Het gaat om onbemande straalvliegtuigen die zijn ontworpen om bemande gevechtsvliegtuigen te ondersteunen. Fury en Vengeance Deze vliegtuigen zijn geleverd aan de Experimental Operations Unit op de Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Anduril leverde in augustus de […]

New Vengeance aircraft joins the service’s Experimental Operations Unit in Nevada for regular evaluation of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft

General Atomics and Anduril aircraft are the first designs of the CCA program, which could put at least 500 semi-autonomous combat aircraft into service by 2032

Aviation News – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and Tactical Air Support, Inc. successfully demonstrated advanced Human-Machine Teaming during a July 21 flight test, using passive sensors and autonomous software to track and eliminate an airborne target. The flight demonstration took place during a large force exercise, pairing a piloted F-5 Advanced Tiger from Tactical Air Support with an uncrewed Collaborative Combat Aircraft test bed provided by GA-ASI.

viation News – The U.S. Air Force announced plans Monday to deploy at least 500 semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft into service by 2032, pairing low-cost uncrewed platforms with traditional fighter jets. During the Air & Space Forces Association’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, officials officially named the first two production-bound aircraft designs: the General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance and the Anduril Industries FQ-44 Fury.

AviationNews – Boeing and allied defense partners have expanded joint network interoperability trials for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The milestone tests validate the uncrewed platform's capability to execute autonomous reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and data-sharing missions alongside crewed fighter aircraft in contested airspace. Originally developed in Australia by Boeing Defence Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the MQ-28 program has quickly transitioned into a cornerstone for allied loyal-wingman concepts.

Aviation News – The U.S. Air Force’s USAF YFQ-44A Creech Air Force Base exercise has successfully expanded operational testing for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, accelerating the path toward fielding production FQ-44 platforms. The recent exercise at Creech Air Force Base marked the Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) second major training event following an initial deployment four months prior. During the April debut, EOU operators successfully launched, recovered, and sustained the YFQ-44A for the first time.

AviationNews – Boeing and Rheinmetall have joined forces in a strategic partnership to offer the MQ-28 Ghost Bat autonomous aircraft to the German Bundeswehr. The alliance aims to accelerate Germany's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, providing advanced "loyal wingman" capabilities for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions by 2029. The joint initiative leverages Boeing's mature, flight-tested MQ-28 Ghost Bat platform—originally developed in Australia for the Royal Australian Air Force—to meet the German Air Force's requirement for uncrewed combat aircraft.

Key takeaways De Amerikaanse luchtmacht heeft toestemming gegeven voor de productie van twee verschillende autonome gevechtsdrones als onderdeel van haar Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)-initiatief. Dit programma heeft tot doel een aanzienlijk aantal semi-autonome vliegtuigen in te zetten die kunnen samenwerken met bemande straaljagers, zoals de F-35. Anduril en General Atomics In een historische prestatie voor […]

Key takeaways De Amerikaanse luchtmacht en het Nederlandse ministerie van Defensie hebben hun samenwerking versterkt door middel van een overeenkomst voor de aanschaf van twee prototypes voor het Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)-programma. Deze samenwerking positioneert Nederland als een essentiële partner in de ontwikkeling van deze loyale wingmandrones, onbemande gevechtsvliegtuigen die zijn ontworpen om samen te […]

Key takeaways Nederland heeft zich aangesloten bij het Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programma van de Amerikaanse luchtmacht. Het initiatief richt zich op de ontwikkeling van autonome onbemande luchtvaartsystemen, bestuurd door gevechtspiloten vanuit hun eigen vliegtuig. Dat meldt het ministerie van Defensie van Nederland. Dit besluit toont de inzet van Nederland voor innovatie en samenwerking op […]

The history of aviation, since its very beginning, is characterised by significant technological changes that have been constantly altering the capabilities of aircraft and their applications for both...

GA-ASI and USAF completed a joint flight exercise using MQ-20 Avenger to demonstrate passive IR sensing for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.