The U.S. Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) have received their designations, the service revealed Monday.
The General Atomics unmanned fighter has been designated YFQ-42A while the Anduril aircraft has been assigned the designation YFQ-44A.
The two advanced drones represent the Air Force’s first generation of unmanned fighters and their prototypes are expected to take their first flights this fall.
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“Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. “They were only on paper less than a couple of years ago, and they are going to be ready to fly this summer.”
As the Air Force explained, the Y designation implies that they are prototypes, which will be removed when the jets enter production.
“For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A,” Allvin added. “It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare.”
The CCAs promise to be a major game-changer in aerial combat in the coming years. Equipped with Artificial Intelligence, stealth, but at a lower unit price than manned fighters, these aircraft will take on the riskiest missions in the theater of war.
Both the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A will operate in many situations as “Loyal Wingmen” to manned fighters.
Initially, the USAF will use its current 5th generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35 to accompany the stealth drones, but a future fighter from the NGAD program could take over that role if it is indeed revived.
