The US Air Force’s (USAF) Collaborative Combat Aircraft program hit a new milestone with the General Atomics YFQ-42A fighter drone taking its maiden flight, just months after it received the fighter designation.
The YFQ-42A conducted tests at a site in California, providing valuable information for ongoing assessments of platform airworthiness, flight autonomy, and mission system integration.
This aligns with the larger plan to deploy a significant number of modular, reasonably priced, and operationally useful unmanned aircraft that can fly alongside manned fifth- and sixth-generation aircraft, according to an official statement published by the USAF.
“This milestone showcases what’s possible when innovative acquisition meets motivated industry,” said the Secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink. “In record time, CCA went from concept to flight — proving we can deliver combat capability at speed when we clear barriers and align around the warfighter.”
The YFQ-42A is based on the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS), which was created by GA-ASI as part of the Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing (LCAAPS) program for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The XQ-67A had validated the “genus/species” concept, which focuses on building multiple aircraft variants from a common core chassis for cost efficiency and scalability.
“It’s been our collaboration [with the Air Force] that enabled us to build and fly the YFQ-42A in just over a year. It’s an incredible achievement, and I salute the Air Force for its vision, and I salute our development team for delivering yet another historic first for our company,” GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said in a statement.
The development comes two years after the CCA program was launched in March 2023 by the former Secretary of the USAF, Frank Kendall, and just a few months after the GA-ASI prototype aircraft received the fighter designation alongside Anduril’s YFQ-44A in March 2025.
The two drones are currently in development under the first phase, known as Increment 1, and both drones began ground testing in May 2025.
Anduril’s drone prototype is also expected to start flight testing soon, as noted by the contractor in a separate statement. “Flight test is one of those milestones that you just can’t help but get excited about, no matter where you sit. Congratulations to General Atomics and the U.S. Air Force for kicking off flight testing for YFQ-42A – a major milestone on the path to fielding Increment 1 CCAs by the end of the decade,” said Dr. Jason Levin, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Air Dominance, and Strike at Anduril.
Though most information about these fighter drones remains shrouded in secrecy, an infographic published by USAF top boss David Allvin earlier this year stated these CCA drones will become operational by 2029.
While their top speed is classified, these platforms will be stealthy, with a combat radius exceeding 700 nautical miles or 1,296 kilometers.
For comparison, the F-22 Raptor has a combat range of 590 nautical miles, or approximately 1,100 kilometers, whereas the F-35 Lightning II has a combat range of 670 nautical miles, or over 1,200 kilometers.
USAF CCA Program Is Pacing
The CCA program is a flagship initiative by the USAF aimed at developing a new generation of uncrewed, semi-autonomous “fighter drones” to operate alongside manned aircraft. These drones, often referred to as “loyal wingmen,” are designed to enhance air superiority in contested environments by acting as force multipliers.
These drones will provide additional combat effects, supporting crewed aircraft by carrying extra air-to-air munitions, extending sensor coverage, and executing missions that would otherwise put human pilots at risk.
Reports have indicated that these CCAs will primarily serve as airborne “missile trucks” in their initial deployment, flying in formation with crewed jets to provide additional firepower. However, discussions have already taken place about expanding their roles to include electronic warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, and even fully autonomous missions in the future.
The Pentagon has ambitious plans to mass-produce these CCAs at a significantly lower cost compared to conventional fighter jets. The CCA drones the USAF is developing are estimated to cost between US$25 million and US$35 million each, which is one-third of the cost of an F-35 Lightning II aircraft, which costs between US$80 million and US$115 million, depending on the variant.
The idea is that deploying cheap, attritable drones as companions to expensive, manned fighters would enhance mission success while also improving survivability for the manned platform, especially when engaging with a near-peer adversary in contested environments. China has a very sophisticated Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) system along its coastline, which is likely to make manned operations very difficult in a conflict.
The USAF reportedly plans to order approximately 150 drones in Increment 1, according to statements made by USAF officials. However, the service is seeking a total of about 1,000 of these aircraft or loyal wingman drones, over several iterative development cycles. This large number may also lead to modifications and evolution in design over time.
As Indian Air Force veteran Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd) argued in a previous EurAsian Times article, “While the combat aircraft features such as agility (speed, manoeuvrability), remain important, they have become less consequential. Occasions for close-combat engagements are reducing. Long-range beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat requires sensors and weapons that allow ‘see first, shoot first, hit first’ ability.”
“Drones and unmanned platforms can now provide high-exposure close air support. The ability to conduct long-range precision strikes has become increasingly important. Exposing expensive manned aircraft to mobile air defences will be risky. Air denial rather than air superiority will be easier to achieve,” he added.
To outdo adversaries, Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) will deliver greater and faster effects at a lower cost. Theoretically, these cheap drones can carry weapons for precision strikes, support targeting by ground-based weapons and airborne platforms, mark targets for laser weapons, jam enemy defences, and could be used as decoy formations.
The USAF was also known to be refining plans for Increment 2 of the CCA program, which will introduce a new generation of drones with enhanced capabilities. These next-generation CCAs are expected to be more advanced, but also more expensive; however, their exact mission profiles and technological enhancements have yet to be determined.
Earlier, Frank Kendall said that the USAF is working to acquire what could ultimately be a fleet of multiple different types of CCA drones through iterative development cycles.
“I don’t regard CCAs as expendable. They’re not munitions. … we don’t send them all to die,” Kendall said. “So there needs to be enough survivability in them – the combination of how you equip them, design them, plus tactics so that you can have reasonable attrition in most areas – but they are things that you are willing to let a few of die to gain an advantage”.
For now, Increment 1 is gathering pace. The GA-ASI drone flight is certainly a milestone in the CCA program, which has been projected as indispensable for future combat.
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