Ground Testing for the U.S. Air Force CCA gets underway.

 

Ground testing of the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A aircraft for the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program begins.

 

Article: Jaryd Stock

Images & Graphics: USAF/ Anduril, General Atomics 

 

 

The Department of the U.S. Air Force has begun ground testing for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, marking a major milestone in its effort to integrate autonomous systems into the future force.

This ground test phase includes rigorous evaluations of the General Atomics YFQ-42A and the Anduril produced YFQ-44A production representative test vehicles — developed for the program for testing focusing on propulsion systems, avionics, autonomy integration and ground control interfaces. These assessments will validate performance, inform future design decisions and prepare the systems for flight testing later this year.

“Starting ground tests is a key milestone for the CCA Increment 1 program,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin. “This phase bridges the gap between design and flight, reducing integration risks, boosting confidence and laying the groundwork for a successful first flight and eventual fielding to the warfighter.”

The CCA program is vital to the Air Force’s broader shift towards scalable force packages and human-machine teaming. Designed to operate alongside crewed aircraft, CCA will extend operational reach, enhance survivability and increase lethality in contested environments. 

As force multipliers, they will support rapid deployment and affordable mass in a variety of roles from supplementing strike missions to intelligence surveillance & reconnaissance mission sets delivering what is hoped a combat power delivery system at a fraction of the cost of traditional manned fighters.

“We’re moving fast because the warfighter needs this capability,” Allvin said. “CCA is about delivering decisive advantage in highly contested environments. The program is accelerating fielding through innovative design and acquisition strategies — and both vendors are meeting or exceeding key milestones. These aircraft will help us turn readiness into operational dominance.”

Demonstrating further progress toward operationalising CCA capabilities, the DAF has selected Beale Air Force Base, California, as the preferred location to host a CCA Aircraft Readiness Unit. The mission of the ARU is to provide combat aircraft ready to deploy worldwide at a moment’s notice. CCA are semi-autonomous in nature so the ARU will not have to fly a significant number of daily sorties to maintain readiness. The aircraft will be maintained in a fly-ready status and flown minimally so the number of airmen required to support the fleet will be substantially lower than other weapons systems.

 

The CCA program prioritises speed, flexibility and cost-effectiveness. By leveraging open architectures and commercial technologies, it allows for rapid integration, iterative upgrades and scalable production. A competitive Increment 1 production decision is expected in fiscal year 2026, with development for Increment 2 beginning that same year to expand mission applications and integrate emerging technologies.

“The pace of innovation must outmatch the pace of the threat,” Allvin said. “CCA is how we do that.”

Anduril, the company producing the XFQ-44A nicknamed the ‘Fury’, along with the Secretary of U.S. Air Force released images of the ground testing aircraft on May 1st.

Anduril have been busy marketing the Fury as a CCA platform to various airforces around the world.

In March, Anduril showcased the Fury at the Avalon Airshow making it the first time the company has showcased the CCA outside of America.

David Goodrich OAM, Executive Chairman and CEO Anduril Australia said during the airshow that it was important to showcase the Fury to International defence personnel and industry.

“Anduril Australia is honoured to display Fury at the Avalon International Airshow. It’s the first time it has been shown outside the USA,” stated Mr Goodrich. 

“As with all our products, Fury has been designed for simplicity and large-scale production. At Anduril, we are focused on driving out unnecessary complexity, eliminating unnecessary materials, parts, tooling and specialised processes, and leveraging commercial components wherever possible. Hardware and material choices are optimised around cost, speed, simplicity and supply chain.”

The reason as to why Anduril displayed the Fury at Avalon is thought to be on offer to the Australian Defence Force as a competitor to the Boeing Australia MQ-28 Ghost Bat.

A decision on procurement of a CCA for the ADF is expected towards end of this year by the Australian government.

But it is expected that Royal Australian Air Force, Chief of Air Force  Air Marshal Steven Chappell will recommend the MQ-28 as the platform of choice for the RAAF in the CCA role.

General Atomics released a statement regarding the CCA program milestone, David R. Alexander, President of General Atomics stated, “The CCA program represents a groundbreaking new era in combat aviation, and we remain on schedule to test and fly YFQ-42 in the coming month, our work on YFQ-42 will further expand the field of unmanned aviation, and we remain excited for the future.

 

We congratulate the Beale AFB community on its selection to support this new era of air dominance, and we look forward to partnering with you as the program progresses. To that end, I’m pleased to announce that GA-ASI will give the Beale community a sneak peek later this summer, with an exhibition of our full-scale YFQ-42 model on display at the Beale Air and Space Expo beginning June 7.