The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) and Anduril production contracts for the FQ-42A and FQ-44 collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) respectively, the air force announced on 17 June 2026.

The USAF noted in a press release that the production contracts had been awarded four months ahead of schedule. While the air force has not specified how many aircraft have initially been procured, its CCA programme is expected to order over 150 combat-capable CCAs by the end of the decade. The USAF has stated that it intends to field approximately 1,000 combat-capable CCAs, employing an acquisition strategy built on continuous competition to drive down cost over time while scaling fighter capacity.

The value of the contracts has also not been disclosed, but in its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) procurement request the USAF officially requested USD 996.5 million (EUR 869.5 million) to begin production of Increment 1 CCAs, plus USD 150 million in advance procurement for FY28.

The FQ-42A and FQ-44 are purpose-built, uncrewed fighters developed as part of USAF’s ongoing investment in next-generation semi-autonomous combat aircraft. The aircraft’s modular design enables rapid integration of mission systems and mission autonomy software.

GA-ASI and Anduril were selected by the USAF in 2024 to build production-representative flight test articles for its CCA programme. The GA-ASI YFQ-42A prototype successfully conducted its maiden flight in August 2025, while the Anduril YFQ-44A prototype first flew on 31 October 2025.

“These contracts signify that the FQ-42 and FQ-44 meet rigorous mission requirements and are ready for full-scale manufacturing,” the USAF stated. “The decision follows a competitive source selection process, identifying the systems as the most capable and cost-effective solutions to maintain air superiority in an increasingly complex and contested global threat environment.”

The USAF press release quoted Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink as stating, “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.”

The USAF noted that “equally critical to the CCA ecosystem is the mission autonomy software” and stated that it has awarded mission autonomy production contracts to a pool of six vendors to establish a competitive marketplace for the CCA programme: Anduril, GA-ASI, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Collins Aerospace and Shield AI.

Additionally, the USAF has competitively awarded production options to Anduril, RTX Collins Aerospace and Shield AI to accelerate the delivery of critical mission autonomy software. This award, based on the vendors’ ability to meet aggressive schedule and affordability requirements, will fund the first of two six-month competitive phases designed to speed the fielding of operational software to the warfighter. Following the initial six-month period, the USAF will evaluate the vendors’ progress and execute a second competitive award period. This performance-based competition will culminate in the selection of a primary mission autonomy provider for CCA Increment 1, with the award planned for selection by the summer of 2027.

“Mission autonomy is the cornerstone of the CCA concept, and leveraging a competitive, multi-vendor environment ensures we capture the latest technology,” Meink stated. “This approach guarantees our Airmen are equipped with state-of-the-art capabilities today but keeps the door open for the breakthroughs necessary to maintain air superiority.”

The USAF CCA Increment 1 production contract awards mean that the forthcoming GA-ASI and Anduril aircraft will be the first in history to carry the novel FQ designation, with ‘F’ standing for fighter and ‘Q’ designating that the platform is uncrewed.