US Air Force awards production contracts to General Atomics, Anduril for drone wingmen

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday awarded production contracts to General Atomics and Anduril Industries to build its first fleet of semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), advancing the program from prototype development to full-scale manufacturing just over two years after its launch.

Under the agreements, General Atomics will produce the FQ-42, while Anduril Industries will build the FQ-44, according to the Air Force. The service did not disclose the value or total size of the procurement.

The CCA initiative is a key component of the Air Force’s long-term strategy for human-machine teaming. The unmanned aircraft are designed to operate alongside crewed fighter jets, expanding operational range, improving situational awareness, and increasing survivability in contested combat environments. The Air Force ultimately aims to field around 1,000 combat-capable CCAs, using ongoing competition among contractors to reduce costs while scaling up capacity.

Officials said the contracts were awarded ahead of schedule, indicating that both platforms have met performance requirements and are ready to transition into production.

"By moving fast from competitive selection into full-scale manufacturing, we position ourselves to field highly credible and combat-ready semi-autonomous systems to stay ahead of the pacing challenge,” said Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink. “These contracts reaffirm our confidence in the strategic path forward for the program to procure over 150 combat capable CCA by the end of the decade.”

In parallel with the aircraft production awards, the Air Force also advanced the program’s software development strategy by awarding mission autonomy contracts to six vendors: Anduril Industries, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation’s Collins Aerospace, and Shield AI.

The Air Force is also adopting an unusual procurement model it describes as “software sold separately,” separating the purchase of the aircraft’s mission autonomy systems from the airframe itself. Officials say the approach is intended to increase competition, accelerate innovation, and allow faster updates to autonomous capabilities as technology evolves.

-Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams and Stephen Coates/Reuters