‘F' for fighter: Air Force combat drones get novel mission designation
The CCAs, which are being built by Anduril Industries and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., are the first aircraft the Air Force has dubbed fighter drones. General Atomics' CCA is now known as the YFQ-42A, and Anduril's is the YFQ-44A, Allvin said in his keynote address at the Air and Space Forces Association's AFA Warfare Symposium here.
In Air Force nomenclature, fighter aircraft are given an F designation, and Q stands for drones. Prototype aircraft are also given a Y prefix, which these CCAs will drop once they enter production.
'For the first time in our history, we have a fighter designation in the YFQ-42 Alpha and YFQ-44 Alpha,' Allvin said. 'It may just be symbolic, but we are telling the world we are leaning into a new chapter of aerial warfare.'
CCAs are autonomous drones that will one day fly alongside crewed fighters like the F-35, or perhaps the future Next Generation Air Dominance fighter the Air Force is considering. The Air Force is heavily investing in CCAs as a way to expand airpower and provide strike capabilities, conduct reconnaissance, carry out electronic warfare operations, or even act as decoys.
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in 2023 that the service plans to have about 1,000 CCAs, but the exact number of the future fleet is not yet known.
The Air Force awarded contracts to Anduril and General Atomics in April 2024 to build the first iteration of CCAs; further so-called 'increments' are in the works.
Until now, General Atomics has referred to its CCA drone as Gambit, and Anduril's CCA has been called Fury.
In his keynote address, Allvin said CCAs and their core technologies will be crucial for the Air Force to win wars to come.
'Embracing and leaning into human-machine teaming, understanding what autonomy can do for us,' Allvin said. 'We know that's got to be a part of our future.'
Anduril and General Atomics heralded their aircrafts' designations as signs their work is bearing fruit.
'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,' said David Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
'The designation is evidence of the program's progress, and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver a capability that will expand the United States' ability to project combat airpower,' Jason Levin, Anduril's senior vice president of engineering, was quoted as saying in a company statement.
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