The U.S. Air Force has moved Anduril’s FQ-44 from prototype to production, awarding the company a contract for its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft Increment 1 fleet. General Atomics also won production work for the FQ-42, giving the service two parallel air vehicle lines for its initial combat-uncrewed formation.
The award came four months ahead of schedule after both designs cleared mission requirements and were judged ready for full-scale manufacturing. Anduril will deliver an initial production set for continued testing, validation, and eventual operational fielding, while the Air Force keeps autonomy software competition open for the next phase.
The programme is built to expand combat mass, add survivability, and support crewed fighters with semi-autonomous wingmen. The next gate is software selection and first operational deliveries.