Autonomous Air Force Fighter Drones Are Being Put to the Test

Collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) being developed by Anduril and GA-ASI are hitting the skies.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

GA-ASI’s uncrewed YFQ-42A Dark Merlin, equipped with Collins Aerospace’s Sidekick autonomy software, conducts its first semiautonomous flight for the Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. [Credit: GA-ASI]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program aims to procure approximately 1,000 autonomous "loyal wingmen" by 2030 to enhance crewed fighter jets with extended sensor range and weapon-carrying capabilities.
Two key aircraft in the first CCA increment, General Atomics’ Dark Merlin and Anduril’s Fury, have achieved significant testing milestones.
The Dark Merlin recently completed its first semiautonomous flight alongside crewed fighters, while the Fury has begun weapons integration testing by carrying inert air-to-air munitions.
First increment production contracts for these autonomous aircraft are anticipated this year, with an operational goal by 2030 to pair them with both fifth and sixth-generation fighters.

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The U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program—which aims to procure about 1,000 autonomous aircraft to serve as “loyal wingmen” to crewed fighter jets—is reaching new heights in 2026.

The two aircraft selected by the branch for testing and evaluation under the first CCA phase or “increment”—General Atomics’ (GA-ASI) YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury—both achieved new milestones this year after first taking flight in late 2025.