USAF Drone Wingmen Begin Flying with Live Weapons
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that its experimental “drone wingmen” have started flying with live weapons. This marks a critical milestone for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) program, moving the concept from unarmed demonstrations to integrating armed, autonomous platforms into operational doctrine. The development highlights the increasing focus on reliability, redundancy, and explainability for AI in mission-critical military contexts.
- The Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program is a component of the wider Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, which also includes the development of a sixth-generation crewed fighter, the F-47, to eventually replace the F-22 Raptor. - In April 2024, the Air Force down-selected from five original vendors to two companies for the first increment of the program: Anduril, developing the YFQ-44A, and General Atomics, with its YFQ-42A. A final production decision for the first increment is expected in fiscal year 2026. - The program's goal is to procure at least 1,000 drones, with a notional plan to pair two CCAs with each of the 200 NGAD fighters and 300 F-35s. The target cost is between $25-30 million per drone, a fraction of the cost of an F-35. - This initial phase of armed testing involves captive carry flights with inert munitions to evaluate the airframe's structural and aerodynamic performance before any live-fire events. A human operator retains authority over any weapons release decisions. - The autonomy software is being developed separately from the airframes using a government-owned open architecture. For the current prototypes, RTX Collins is providing the autonomy software for the General Atomics YFQ-42A, while Shield AI's software is being integrated into Anduril's YFQ-44A. - To support the goal of affordable mass production, the Air Force awarded separate development contracts in February 2026 to Honeywell Aerospace and a GE Aerospace-Kratos team to create a new class of simpler, lower-cost jet engines specifically for these drones. - An Experimental Operations Unit (EOU) has been established at Nellis Air Force Base to develop the tactics, techniques, and procedures for integrating these autonomous wingmen with crewed fighter squadrons. The motto of the EOU is "Kill More, Die Less."
