USAF Develops 'Autonomous Wingman' Drones
The U.S. Air Force is actively developing its "autonomous wingman" project, which pairs AI-driven drones with manned fighter jets for combat and surveillance. The program focuses on AI-enabled targeting and sensor fusion, which analysts say are redefining the concept of air superiority. The effort also includes developing new protocols for deconflicting airspace as drone use proliferates.
This initiative is formally known as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, a core component of the broader Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) effort to succeed the F-22 Raptor. The Air Force's initial plan involves acquiring at least 1,000 CCAs, pairing two drones each with 200 new sixth-generation F-47 fighters and 300 F-35s. Key players in the first increment of development include Anduril and General Atomics, whose prototypes received the official designations YFQ-44A Fury and YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, respectively. Both prototypes achieved first flights in 2025, less than 18 months after contract award, and have recently begun captive carry flight tests with inert AIM-120 missiles to validate weapons integration. The program utilizes a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), allowing the Air Force to decouple the drone's airframe from its AI brain. This Autonomy Government Reference Architecture (A-GRA) enables different software pilots, like Shield AI's Hivemind and Collins Aerospace's Sidekick, to be tested on the same airframe, fostering rapid innovation and preventing vendor lock. To accelerate the development of the AI pilots and manned-unmanned teaming tactics, the Air Force is running parallel test programs. Project VENOM, for instance, involves modifying a fleet of six F-16s into autonomous flying testbeds to refine the complex behaviors required for air combat scenarios without initially relying on the new CCA airframes. The core technology relies on advanced sensor fusion, where AI algorithms process inputs from various sensors like EO/IR cameras, radar, and SIGINT receivers to build a comprehensive picture of the battlespace. This onboard processing, powered by high-performance edge AI accelerators, is critical for enabling autonomous operations even when communication with the manned fighter is disrupted or jammed. While initial contracts for Increment 1 were awarded to Anduril and General Atomics, the field remains competitive. Other major defense contractors like Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin are continuing to invest their own funds in developing CCA platforms, with Northrop's "Project Talon" receiving the designation YFQ-48A, positioning them for future production contracts.
