General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has delivered another FQ-42 Vengeance to Creech Air Force Base in Nevada and revealed that the uncrewed fighter has flown in formation with an F-35A Lightning II and an F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft arrived on 18 September and is now continuing test and evaluation work with U.S. Air Force units focused on collaborative control operations with manned aircraft.
GA-ASI describes the FQ-42 as a fifth-generation uncrewed fighter with an internal weapons bay and low-observable features. The formation flights place the programme in a more operationally relevant phase as the Air Force advances its Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort, which is intended to pair crewed fighters with semi-autonomous wingmen for broader reach, survivability and sensor coverage.
The company did not indicate that the FQ-42 was directly controlled or tasked by the F-35A or F-15E during the flights. The release instead frames the activity as preparation for future teaming trials, with the Creech-based test and evaluation units continuing to build the aircraft’s flight envelope and mission integration.