{"id":28394255,"date":"2026-10-17T09:41:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T07:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-22-raptor-commands-yfq-44a-fury-cca-in-flight-first-time-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T09:42:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T07:42:46","slug":"f-22-raptor-commands-yfq-44a-fury-cca-in-flight-first-time-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/f-22-raptor-commands-yfq-44a-fury-cca-in-flight-first-time-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"F-22 Commands a YFQ-44A Fury Drone in Flight for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\r\n    close();\r\n  }\r\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\r\n  function place(){\r\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\r\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\r\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\r\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\r\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\r\n  }\r\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\r\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\r\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\r\n})();\r\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\r\n<p>Somewhere over the Mojave Desert, in the first week of October, a Raptor pilot did something no fighter pilot had done before: sending a new mission plan to a combat drone flying alongside, and letting the drone take it from there.<\/p>\r\n<p>The US Air Force and Anduril announced on 16 October that an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-22-raptor\/\">F-22 Raptor<\/a> has issued tactical commands in flight to a pre-production YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The service calls it an airborne tactical-control demonstration. Everyone else can call it what it is: the first time the jet that will quarterback America's robot wingmen actually threw the ball.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What:<\/strong> F-22 pilot commands a YFQ-44A Fury CCA in flight<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>When:<\/strong> Week of 5 October 2026, announced 16 October<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Where:<\/strong> Edwards Air Force Base, California<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Drone:<\/strong> Anduril YFQ-44A Fury (pre-production)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Control link:<\/strong> Tactical data link from the F-22 cockpit<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Number of drones:<\/strong> One<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Program goal:<\/strong> 500 Increment 1 CCAs by 2032<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A new mission plan, sent from the cockpit<\/h2>\r\n<p>According to Anduril, the Fury and the F-22 both took off from Edwards and joined up in the air. The Raptor pilot then pushed an updated mission plan to the drone over a tactical data link and commanded it through what the company describes as operationally relevant manoeuvres. Anduril's Mark Shushnar told Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine the mission lasted several hours and was a success.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Air Force's own wording is careful. The pilot acted as an airborne quarterback, issuing high-level tactical directives to a single YFQ-44A. The drone's onboard autonomy software interpreted those directives and executed them in real time, flying dynamic manoeuvres and simulated combat tasks. In other words, the pilot says what needs doing, not how to fly it. That division of labour is the whole point of the CCA concept.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/f-22-raptor-412th-test-wing-edwards.jpg\" alt=\"F-22 Raptor test jet of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base at dusk with its main weapons bay open\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F-22 Raptor test jet of the 412th Test Wing, with ED tail code, on the ramp at Edwards. The service has not said which Raptor flew the Fury demonstration. US Air Force photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>The test brought together the 412th Test Wing at Edwards, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, the 309th Software Engineering Group, the CCA Experimental Operations Unit, the F-22 System Program Office and the CCA Software Autonomy and Teaming Branch. Neither the Air Force nor Anduril has said how the Raptor was modified to talk to the drone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;This flight shows the power of crewed-uncrewed teaming and the advantage it provides our warfighters. We must test often, learn fast, and give commanders what they need, when they need it.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Gen. Ken Wilsbach<\/strong> &mdash; Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, 16 October 2026 statement<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the Raptor goes first<\/h2>\r\n<p>The choice of fighter is no accident. The Air Force has named the F-22 the threshold platform for the CCA program, meaning the first operational drones will be paired with Raptors before the F-35A and other types follow. Over the summer both Increment 1 designs flew in formation with crewed fighters, but the service and the manufacturers stressed at the time that the jets were not yet giving the drones orders. This test closes that gap.<\/p>\r\n<p>It also follows years of rehearsal with a stand-in. The Air Force has used General Atomics' MQ-20 Avenger as a surrogate CCA, including tests in which an airborne F-22 controlled one. The difference now is that the drone on the other end of the link is one of the two designs actually going into production.<\/p>\r\n<p>Those two designs got their popular names this autumn: Anduril's FQ-44 is the Fury and General Atomics' FQ-42 is the Vengeance. The service wants 500 Increment 1 aircraft by 2032 and has talked about an eventual fleet of 1,000 or more. Every one of them depends on a human in a fighter cockpit being able to tell it what to do without drowning in workload, which is why a single successful hand-off from a Raptor matters more than its modest description suggests.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;The U.S. Air Force's CCA program is the fastest moving, most mature CCA program anywhere in the world, and will be the first to field operational aircraft.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Mark Shushnar<\/strong> &mdash; Vice President of Autonomous Airpower, Anduril Industries<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Next stop: Emerald Flag<\/h2>\r\n<p>One drone and one fighter is a start, not the destination. The plan is for a single pilot to manage several CCAs at once, extending the reach and the number of weapons a formation can bring. The next big test of that idea comes in December, when Fury and Vengeance are due to join Exercise Emerald Flag. Lt. Col. Lyndon Bartlett of the Experimental Operations Unit told a panel at the Air &amp; Space Forces Association conference in September, as reported by TWZ, that it will be the first large-force exercise with the drones.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is still plenty to work out: how the drones are deployed, launched, recovered and maintained, and how far pilots will trust a wingman with no one inside it. But the oldest question in the program, whether a fighter pilot can actually command one of these things in the air, now has an answer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vhczBn2Yu-8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">Anduril's own film on the YFQ-44A's path to its first flight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: US Air Force release (16 October 2026), Anduril Industries, Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine, TWZ, The Aviationist<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What did the F-22 and the YFQ-44A Fury do in the October 2026 test?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">An F-22 Raptor pilot sent an updated mission plan over a tactical data link to a YFQ-44A Fury drone flying alongside it from Edwards Air Force Base. The drone's autonomy software then flew the manoeuvres and simulated combat tasks itself. It was the first time an F-22 commanded a Fury in flight.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the F-22 first control a Collaborative Combat Aircraft?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The flight took place during the week of 5 October 2026, according to Anduril, and the US Air Force announced it on 16 October 2026. Earlier tests had used a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger as a stand-in CCA rather than one of the production designs.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the YFQ-44A Fury?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The YFQ-44A Fury is Anduril's pre-production Collaborative Combat Aircraft, a jet-powered drone designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. The production version is designated FQ-44A. It is one of two Increment 1 CCA designs; the other is General Atomics' FQ-42 Vengeance.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is the F-22 the first fighter to control CCAs?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Air Force has named the F-22 Raptor the threshold platform for its CCA program, so the first operational drones will be paired with Raptors. Other types such as the F-35A and F-15E are expected to follow later.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many Collaborative Combat Aircraft does the US Air Force want?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Air Force wants 500 Increment 1 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032 and has spoken of an eventual fleet of 1,000 or more. Each fighter pilot is meant to manage several drones at once.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What comes next for the CCA program after the F-22 test?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Fury and Vengeance are due to take part in Exercise Emerald Flag in December 2026, which an Air Force officer described as the first large-force exercise with the drones. Testing will also move from controlling one drone to controlling several.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What did the F-22 and the YFQ-44A Fury do in the October 2026 test?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An F-22 Raptor pilot sent an updated mission plan over a tactical data link to a YFQ-44A Fury drone flying alongside it from Edwards Air Force Base. The drone's autonomy software then flew the manoeuvres and simulated combat tasks itself. It was the first time an F-22 commanded a Fury in flight.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did the F-22 first control a Collaborative Combat Aircraft?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The flight took place during the week of 5 October 2026, according to Anduril, and the US Air Force announced it on 16 October 2026. Earlier tests had used a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger as a stand-in CCA rather than one of the production designs.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the YFQ-44A Fury?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The YFQ-44A Fury is Anduril's pre-production Collaborative Combat Aircraft, a jet-powered drone designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. The production version is designated FQ-44A. It is one of two Increment 1 CCA designs; the other is General Atomics' FQ-42 Vengeance.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why is the F-22 the first fighter to control CCAs?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The US Air Force has named the F-22 Raptor the threshold platform for its CCA program, so the first operational drones will be paired with Raptors. Other types such as the F-35A and F-15E are expected to follow later.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many Collaborative Combat Aircraft does the US Air Force want?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The US Air Force wants 500 Increment 1 Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032 and has spoken of an eventual fleet of 1,000 or more. 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Testing will also move from controlling one drone to controlling several.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fq-42-vengeance-fq-44-fury-usaf-500-cca-2032\/\">FQ-42 Vengeance and FQ-44 Fury: USAF Wants 500 CCAs by 2032<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/yfq-44a-fury-air-to-ground-munitions-fit-check-2026\/\">YFQ-44A Fury Fit-Checked With Air-to-Ground Bombs and Rocket Pods<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/anduril-yfq-44a-fury-defence-startups-primes-2026\/\">Anduril and the Fury: The Start-Ups Taking On the Defence Primes<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story Somewhere over the Mojave Desert, in the first week of October, a Raptor pilot did something no fighter pilot had done before: sending a new mission plan to a combat drone flying alongside, and letting the drone take it from there. The US Air Force and Anduril announced on 16 October that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":28394234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28394255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F-22 Commands YFQ-44A Fury Drone in Flight | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An F-22 pilot sent a new mission plan to a YFQ-44A Fury drone in flight over Edwards, a first for the US Air Force CCA program. 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