Tag: Collaborative Combat Aircraft

YFQ-42A Returns to Flight After Safety and Software Upgrades

Breaking Defense reports, “A drone wingman built by General Atomics has resumed flying roughly one month after crashing in the California desert shortly after takeoff. In a press release Thursday, the company said its YFQ-44A aircraft ‘returned to flight testing following a round of safety reviews and software enhancements.’”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)



 Video

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

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)

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)

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)

US Air Force Planning Independent Squadrons of Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Defense News reports, “The U.S. Air Force plans to create independent squadrons for its future fleet of collaborative combat aircraft instead of adding the drone wingmen to already-existing squadrons of manned fighters. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the nominee to be the service’s next chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing Thursday the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard also may stand up their own CCA squadrons, along with the active duty.”
Full Story (Defense News)