{"id":2671262,"date":"2026-06-25T10:02:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T08:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/air-force-cca-fq-42a-fq-44a-production-contracts\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T09:27:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T07:27:37","slug":"air-force-cca-fq-42a-fq-44a-production-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-cca-fq-42a-fq-44a-production-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Robot Fighters Cleared for Mass Production"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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On 17 June 2026, the U.S. Air Force quietly ended that monopoly. It signed production contracts for two jet-powered combat aircraft that have no cockpit, no ejection seat, and no pilot \u2014 and ordered them by the hundred.<\/p>\n<p>The two winners are General Atomics' <strong>FQ-42A<\/strong>, nicknamed <em>Dark Merlin<\/em>, and Anduril's <strong>FQ-44A<\/strong>, called <em>Fury<\/em>. Both shed the \"Y\" that marks an experimental prototype the moment the Air Force decided they were ready to build for real. America now has not one but two robot fighters heading for the assembly line.<\/p>\n<p>And the service didn't pick a single winner. It bought both \u2014 a deliberate hedge that tells you how seriously the Pentagon is taking the idea that the next air war will be fought by humans and machines flying together.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f4f4;border-radius:8px;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#333;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.3px\">QUICK FACTS<\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>What:<\/strong> U.S. Air Force awards Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 1 production contracts<\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Who:<\/strong> General Atomics (FQ-42A \"Dark Merlin\") and Anduril (FQ-44A \"Fury\")<\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>When:<\/strong> 17 June 2026 \u2014 roughly four months ahead of schedule<\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>How many:<\/strong> At least 150 aircraft combined by the end of the decade; long-term goal around 1,000<\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Price tag:<\/strong> Target unit cost about $30 million \u2014 roughly one-third of an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\">F-35<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:6px 0;font-size:15px\"><strong>Mission:<\/strong> Air superiority, with a combat radius of about 700 nautical miles<\/p><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From paper to production in under two years<\/h2>\n<p>What makes this remarkable is the speed. General David Allvin, the Air Force Chief of Staff, pointed out that these were not aircraft anyone had been flying for years.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:18px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;We have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft that were on paper less than a couple of years ago.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Gen. David Allvin<\/strong> &mdash; U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff<\/div><\/div>\n\n<p>The YFQ-42A made its first flight in August 2025. The YFQ-44A followed on 31 October 2025. Less than a year after those maiden flights, both designs had convinced the Air Force they were worth committing to \u2014 and the production decision landed four months earlier than planned.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/general-atomics-yfq-42a-dark-merlin-ground-test.jpg\" alt=\"General Atomics YFQ-42A Dark Merlin in a hangar during ground testing\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The General Atomics FQ-42A \"Dark Merlin\" \u2014 a production-representative test vehicle. The red \"remove before flight\" streamer hangs from the nose. Public domain \/ U.S. Air Force<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The maths that makes them irresistible<\/h2>\n<p>The appeal is brutally simple economics. An F-35 costs roughly $80\u201390 million a copy and takes years to train a pilot to fly it. A CCA is meant to cost around $30 million \u2014 a third of the price \u2014 and there is no human inside to lose if it gets shot down.<\/p>\n<p>That changes the calculus of a fight. A single piloted <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-22-raptor\">F-22<\/a>, F-35, or the forthcoming F-47 could push a handful of these drones ahead of it as sensors, missile trucks, jammers, or decoys. The expensive human-flown jet stays back; the cheap robots go into the teeth of the enemy's air defences first.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:18px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;It\u2019s a recognition that we\u2019re moving into a new era of manned human-machine teaming, as we build out our force design.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Gen. David Allvin<\/strong> &mdash; U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff<\/div><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the Air Force bought both<\/h2>\n<p>Keeping both General Atomics and Anduril in the game is a strategy as much as a purchase. It preserves competition, hedges against one design running into trouble, and keeps two production lines warm. Anduril, a Silicon Valley defence upstart, building combat aircraft alongside a legacy drone-maker like General Atomics is itself a statement about how the Pentagon wants its future force built.<\/p>\n<p>Increment 1 is only the beginning. The Air Force has spoken of eventually fielding something on the order of 1,000 Collaborative Combat Aircraft across multiple increments, each generation cheaper, smarter, and more autonomous than the last. The first 150-plus are simply the down payment.<\/p>\n<p>The video below follows the YFQ-44A Fury from the workshop to its first flight over the California desert \u2014 the moment a startup's robot fighter actually left the ground.<\/p>\n\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;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p>For a century, air power has been measured in pilots. Starting now, it will also be measured in the machines that fly beside them \u2014 and the Air Force just ordered its first 150.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic\">Sources: U.S. Air Force; Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine; Breaking Defense; The War Zone; General Atomics Aeronautical.<\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\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>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<!-- mf-faq -->\n\n<div class=\"mf-faq-block\"><style>.mf-faq-block{margin:34px 0}.mf-faq-item:not([open]) .mf-faq-answer{display:none !important}.mf-faq-block h2.mf-faq-h{padding-top:22px;margin-bottom:14px}.mf-faq-item{border:1px solid #e2e8f5;border-radius:8px;margin:0 0 10px;background:#fff}.mf-faq-item summary{list-style:none;cursor:pointer;padding:15px 50px 15px 18px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;position:relative;line-height:1.45;user-select:none}.mf-faq-item summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mf-faq-item summary::after{content:\"+\";position:absolute;right:18px;top:50%;transform:translateY(-50%);font-size:1.5em;font-weight:400;color:#5C91FF;line-height:1}.mf-faq-item[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mf-faq-item[open] summary{border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f8}.mf-faq-item summary:hover{background:#f5f8ff}.mf-faq-answer{padding:14px 18px;color:#333;line-height:1.6}.mf-faq-answer p{margin:0}<\/style><h2 class=\"mf-faq-h\">Related Questions<\/h2><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What are Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Collaborative Combat Aircraft are uncrewed robot fighters designed to fly alongside crewed jets. In June 2026 the U.S. Air Force cleared its first two \u2014 General Atomics' FQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril's FQ-44A Fury \u2014 for production under the CCA Increment 1 program.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>How much does a Collaborative Combat Aircraft cost?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>Each CCA has a target unit cost of about $30 million \u2014 roughly a third the price of an F-35, which runs $80\u201390 million a copy. Low cost is the whole point: fielding large numbers of capable uncrewed fighters affordably.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What is a loyal wingman drone?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>A loyal wingman is an uncrewed aircraft that flies alongside a piloted fighter under the pilot's control, acting as a sensor, missile carrier or jammer. CCAs are the U.S. Air Force's loyal wingmen \u2014 a single F-22, F-35 or F-47 could push several ahead of it in a fight.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>How many CCAs will the U.S. Air Force buy?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The Air Force plans at least 150 from the first two designs by the end of the decade, with a long-term goal of around 1,000. The first production contracts were awarded on 17 June 2026 \u2014 about four months ahead of schedule.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>What are the FQ-42A and FQ-44A?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>They are the U.S. Air Force's first two production Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The FQ-42A Dark Merlin is built by General Atomics and the FQ-44A Fury by Anduril. Both were selected for CCA Increment 1 production in June 2026.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>Why does the U.S. want uncrewed fighter jets?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>The appeal is economics. A CCA costs about a third of an F-35 and has no pilot to lose if shot down, so commanders can risk it freely. Flown in numbers alongside crewed jets, drones multiply the sensors and weapons in the sky at a fraction of the cost.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"mf-faq-item\"><summary>When did the CCA prototypes first fly?<\/summary><div class=\"mf-faq-answer\"><p>General Atomics' YFQ-42A made its first flight in August 2025, and Anduril's YFQ-44A followed on 31 October 2025. Less than a year after those maiden flights, both designs had convinced the Air Force to commit to production.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What are Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Collaborative Combat Aircraft are uncrewed robot fighters designed to fly alongside crewed jets. In June 2026 the U.S. Air Force cleared its first two \u2014 General Atomics' FQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril's FQ-44A Fury \u2014 for production under the CCA Increment 1 program.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much does a Collaborative Combat Aircraft cost?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Each CCA has a target unit cost of about $30 million \u2014 roughly a third the price of an F-35, which runs $80\u201390 million a copy. 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Less than a year after those maiden flights, both designs had convinced the Air Force to commit to production.\"}}]}<\/script><!-- \/mf-faq -->\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><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\/airbus-ravenstorm-helsing-ca-1ea-europe-combat-drones-ila-2026\/\">Europe Rolls Out Its Robot Wingmen<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/americas-drone-wingman-crashes-on-first-real-test\/\">America&#8217;s Drone Wingman Crashes on First Real Test<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story For decades, &#8220;fighter jet&#8221; meant a human strapped into a cockpit. On 17 June 2026, the U.S. Air Force quietly ended that monopoly. It signed production contracts for two jet-powered combat aircraft that have no cockpit, no ejection seat, and no pilot \u2014 and ordered them by the hundred. The two winners [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":2671208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2671262","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 v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FQ-42A &amp; FQ-44A CCA Drones Cleared for Mass Production<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. Air Force just ordered two pilotless jet fighters \u2014 the FQ-42A Dark Merlin and FQ-44A Fury \u2014 into production. 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