Tag: Autonomous Flight

General Atomics Names YFQ-42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft ‘Dark Merlin’

Aviation Week reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) announced Feb. 23 that its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) has a name: the Dark Merlin. The GA-ASI YFQ-42A is one of two CCAs being developed for the U.S. Air Force’s first increment of its program, along with the Anduril YFA-44A. After first flights in 2025, both of the prototypes now await a potential production award in 2026.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)



 Video

The YFQ-42A drone by General Atomics
(Techno Thunder; YouTube)

General Atomics’ LongShot Air Combat Drone Officially Named X-68A

Aviation Week reports, “An air-launched missile-carrying uncrewed aircraft developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for DARPA’s LongShot project has been designated the X-68A ahead of flight tests expected by year-end. The LongShot is designed to be carried by fighters and bombers, or as a palletized munition on airlifters, and launched to fly ahead and engage targets with its own internally carried air-to-air missiles. The goal is to increase launch platform survivability and extend combat reach.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boeing Showcases MQ-28 Milestones Amid Growing CCA Demand

Aviation Week reports, “Boeing Australia expects to have the operational version of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat flying for that nation’s air force by 2028 as it uses momentum there to garner international interest for a later block of the collaborative combat aircraft. The MQ-28 program closed out 2025 with an AIM-120 shot from a Ghost Bat flying with Boeing’s F/A-18s and E-7—a significant milestone that the company says showcases how mature the trailblazing CCA has become.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Leonardo’s Proteus Naval Autonomous Helicopter Makes First Flight

Aviation International News reports, “Leonardo has made the first flight of what it described as the UK’s ‘first autonomous full-size helicopter,’ the ‘Proteus’ technology demonstrator. The milestone was reported on January 16 by the Royal Navy, which is working with the Italy-based aerospace and defense group on the project.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Video
Viral Vantage Vista; YouTube

Advanced Autonomy Critical for Future Air Superiority

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Chuck Yeager predicted that autonomous aircraft would someday dominate the future of air combat. Last October, Yeager’s vision was realized when Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Fury became the first next-gen autonomous fighter jet to fly its full mission profile without direct human intervention.

Anduril’s YFQ-44A Drone Wingman Prototype Makes First Flight

Breaking Defense reports, “Defense tech startup Anduril’s prototype bid for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program achieved its first flight, the service announced [Friday]. The YFQ-44A drone flew ‘at a California test location’ at an undisclosed time today, the Air Force said in a press release. The drone is the second to reach the flight testing stage for the Air Force’s drone wingman program, following General Atomics’s YFQ-42A that took off for the first time in August.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)

USAF Considering Expanding CCA Pairing Capabilities Beyond F-22

Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Air Force is only set, for now, to pair Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) with the Lockheed Martin F-22, though consideration is still ongoing for the rest of its fighter types. The service in a new report to Congress says the Raptor is the ‘threshold platform’ for CCA, though integration with F-16s, F-35As, F-15Es and F-15EXs is an emerging consideration. Uncrewed aircraft will eventually be paired with the upcoming Boeing F-47.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Netherlands Joins US Air Force’s CCA Program

Aviation Week reports, “The Netherlands has joined the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program as part of an effort to grow the effectiveness of its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet. Dutch State Secretary Gijs Tuinman signed a letter of intent to join the initiative in Washington on Oct. 16. But it is unclear whether the Netherlands will simply become an observer of the program or make an investment in CCA development.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)