IRIA News

3 minute read

The U.S. Air Force advances uncrewed fighter program by officially designating two Mission Design Series aircraft under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, the YFQ-42A from General Atomics and the YFQ-44A from Anduril Industries.

This marks a significant milestone as these aircraft became one of the first uncrewed jets to receive a fighter designation. The “Y” prefix indicates its prototype status, “F” signifies its fighter role, and “Q” denotes its unmanned nature.

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said, “Now we have two prototypes of Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” adding that “They were only on paper less than a couple of years ago, and they are going to be ready to fly this summer.”

Allvin added, “For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A. It may be just symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare. It means collaborative combat aircraft, it means human-machine teaming. We are developing those capabilities thinking, ‘mission first.’”

The MDS designation provides a standardized framework for identifying and classifying these aircraft: 

• Status Prefix: Y- Prototype (The “Y” will be dropped upon entering production) 
• Basic Mission: F – Fighter 
• Vehicle Type: Q – Unmanned Aircraft  
• Design Number: 42 / 44 
• Series: A – 1st Version

The U.S. Air Force will collaborate closely with industry partners to advance the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A prototypes through extensive testing and evaluation. The knowledge gained from these efforts will play a vital role in shaping the future of the CCA program and reinforcing the Air Force’s leadership in airpower innovation, the USAF statement added.

YQF-42A aircraft

The YFQ-42A is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). While specific technical details remain limited, the YFQ-42A is expected to incorporate advanced artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, and combat autonomy, enabling it to conduct high-risk missions, electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and air-to-air engagements in highly contested environments.

General Atomics has extensive experience in developing unmanned systems, having built the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator, and the YFQ-42A is likely to leverage lessons from those platforms while incorporating next-generation stealth, survivability, and weapons integration.

GA-ASI welcomed the U.S. Air Force’s designation for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft. The company’s President David R. Alexander said, “We’re proud to get a new official aircraft designation,” adding that “These aircraft represent an unrivaled history of capable, dependable uncrewed platforms that meet the needs of America’s warfighters and point the way to a significant new era for airpower.”

Alexander further highlighted, “YFQ-42A continues a long and distinguished history for GA-ASI that dates back to the 1990s and the debut of the RQ-1 Predator®, which later changed to MQ-1 Predator. That uncrewed aircraft gave way to the MQ-9A Reaper®, the MQ-20 Avenger®, our new MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian®, and many others.”

YFQ-44A aircraft

The Anduril YFQ-44A, codenamed “Fury,” is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. It is a high-performance, multi-mission group 5 autonomous air vehicle enabling trusted and collaborative autonomy for the high-end fight.

The aircraft features a sleek, fighter-like design with trapezoidal wings, a chin-mounted engine intake, and a cruciform tail with stabilators. With external hardpoints for weapons, “Fury” is designed to operate alongside crewed fighters, such as the F-35 Lightning II, to enhance air superiority through manned-unmanned teaming. operating as an affordable and attritable force multiplier in contested environments.

According to Anduril Industries, the aircraft leverages Lattice software and is designed to accelerate the development, testing, and fielding of Mission Autonomy into operational reality for the warfighter, delivering an unfair advantage for unrivaled deterrence.

The U.S. Air Force is developing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms to maintain its air superiority. Semi-autonomous aircraft, like YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, will enhance flexibility, affordability, and mission effectiveness.