The U.S. Air Force has chosen General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Anduril Industries to move its Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme into production.
The service will build the first Increment 1 air vehicles as FQ-42A and FQ-44A, dropping the prototype Y prefix after both firms advanced from 2024 development awards. It also pushed forward autonomy competition, retaining Anduril, Shield AI and Collins Aerospace for mission-software work. Col. Timothy Helfrich said the down-select reflected schedule, cost and performance, with the Air Force targeting at least 150 aircraft by decade-end.
The contracts landed about four months early. For operators and suppliers, the next constraint is execution: scale, unit cost and autonomous mission integration will now determine whether CCA reaches combat inventory on time.